World Cup 101 - The Roleplays

by **Eraman** » Thu May 14, 2026 10:26 am

Review of the 101st World Cup Qualifiers
Mandalanusa at the Halfway Point

After nine matches, the 101st World Cup qualifiers are now halfway. When the group draw was made, no one expected Mandalanusa to have any significant impact on the campaign.

Mandalanusa entered the qualifiers with eight nations. Out of the eight nations, only two are outside Pot 6, the lowest pot for the group draw. Biyambi, the back to back Mandalanusan champion, ranked 72nd in the world was placed in Pot 4. Bhumi Matawis Empire, ranked 97th, entered from Pot 5. The remaining six Mandalanusan nations, the returning duo of Eraman and Sharktail and the four debutants Serumpun, Masraya, Hintuwan and Nueva Compostela were all drawn from the last pot. None of them were expected to qualify.

Mandalanusa had always been viewed as a region with passionate support but without the actual firepower on the pitch. But with the qualifiers at its halfway, that perception is beginning to change a little bit as several Mandalanusan nations have proven far more competitive than expected. With the qualifiers now at the halfway point, here is how all eight Mandalanusan nations have performed so far, sorted according to ranking.

1. Biyambi

As the back to back Mandalanusan champion, Biyambi entered the qualifiers as the strongest Mandalanusan nation, hence with the highest expectations, especially after a strong performance in their debut in the 100th World Cup qualifier as they finished second in the group and made it to the playoff where they lost narrowly to Qusmo in the deciding match. They were drawn in Group 16 where the 15th-ranked Ko-oren and 18th-ranked Kamijiro were the favourites for the two automatic qualification spots. With only Ko-oren, Kamijiro and Captina Island stronger than them on paper, Biyambi were expected to at least qualify for a playoff spot again.

But then their campaign started in the worst way possible. The defeat against Captina Island and Ko-oren was understandable. But when they dropped points to 395th-ranked Al-Momenta which raised early concerns. They then went on to drop points again against Kordavia, Konstantino and Snestar in their next three matches. That left them at the bottom of Group 16 after 6 matches with not a single win.

The draw with Snestar, the surprise group leader, somehow sparked something in the Biyambi's camp. They then went on to win their next 3 matches to lift them from bottom to 4th at halfway point. This includes a stunning 5-1 victory over the group favorite, Kamijiro away from home. This result alone changed the perception of Biyambi's campaign. They suddenly looked capable of competing again.

At halfway point, qualification still looked unlikely for Biyambi with Snestar and Ko-oren already established a clear lead at the top of the group. But a playoff spot remained very much possible and that's where we expected them to be at the end of the qualifiers.

Media Prediction: 4th
Current Position: 4th

2. Bhumi Matawis Empire

Bhumi Matawis Empire is the surprise package of Mandalanusa so far. Just like Biyambi, this is only Bhumi Matawis' second ever participation in the international stage after debuting in the 100th World Cup qualifier where they finished 4th behind Kimi-Suomi, Aleirave and Sarzonia. They were drawn in Group 13 with, on paper, 4 stronger sides than them namely Kwrpania, Recuecn, Eastfield Lodge and Super Earth. Not much was expected of them at the start.

But then boom. They shocked everyone from the get go. A 2-1 victory over group favourite, 10th-ranked Kwrpania at home immediately established them as genuine contenders in Group 13. This was then followed by consecutive victories over Sel Appa and Eastfield Lodge, giving them a perfect start after three matches. Their momentum was briefly halted by a home defeat against Recuecn but they then bounced back immediately with victories over Wondering Refugees, Hamborn and Boring Paradise which kept them firmly in control of the group.

The only real setback was when they suffered a surprise home defeat against Super Earth. But again, they recovered quickly with an important away win against Taeshan to close the first half of the qualifiers with 7 wins from 9 matches, one of the strongest qualifying records by any Mandalanusan nation in recent memory.

At halfway point, Bhumi Matawis are no longer fighting for relevance. Sitting top of Group 13 ahead of both Kwrpania and Recuecn, they have placed themselves as a genuine contender for the automatic qualification spot for the 101st World Cup.

Media Prediction: 5th
Current Position: 1st

3. Eraman

Eraman is one of the two returning Mandalanusan nations in the 101st World Cup qualifiers having missed the last 4 out of 5 qualifiers. Ranked 290th in the world and drawn from Pot 6, remaining competitive was considered a respectable target for Eraman. They were drawn in Group 11 alongside heavyweights such as 12th-ranked Edsmontik, 17th-ranked Busoga Islands and 42nd-ranked Qusmo, the nation that eliminated Biyambi in the playoff of the previous qualifiers.

Eraman actually started the campaign well with a shock 1-0 away victory over 78th-ranked Kandorith. This was then followed by an entertaining 3-3 draw away at Legalese. However, the momentum did not last. From then on, their campaign went downhill as they collected the same amount of points in their next 7 matches as they collected in the first two matches.

With only 8 points at halfway point, qualification already appears impossible for Eraman. With the team above them also struggling, the best they can hope for is a playoff spot, but even that appears unlikely if they continue to play like in the first half.

Media Prediction: 7th
Current Position: 7th

4. Sharktail

Just like Eraman, Sharktail is another returning Mandalanusan nation in the 101st World Cup qualifiers. Among the 8 Mandalanusan nations, Sharktail is the earliest to ever participate in international football having been a regular participant until the 95th World Cup before limiting their participation for several editions. Coming into the qualifiers ranked 340th in the world and drawn from Pot 6, very little was expected from them as they were drawn in Group 15 alongside nations such as 14th-ranked Banija, 24th-ranked Zenic, 38th-ranked Darmen and 58th-ranked Cobrio. Sharktail was expected to struggle from the start.

But then Sharktail proved to be a hard team to beat as they drew with everyone. Almost everyone. Including Zenic, Darmen and Cobrio. With five draws, Sharktail was tied with Drawkland and Eriadni as the team with the most draws. The problem is, drawing doesn't give you too many points.

Combined all that draws with a win, Sharktail sits at 7th at halfway point with only 8 points. Better than what was expected of them at the start, but still too far behind even Cobrio who occupy the last playoff spot, 7 points ahead of Sharktail.

Media Prediction: 8th
Current Position: 7th

5. Serumpun

Serumpun is one of the four Mandalanusan debutants in the 101st World Cup qualifier. But unlike the three others who are not listed in the ranking, Serumpun participated in the Baptism of Fire. Therefore, despite losing all matches, they still made it into the ranking, albeit with zero ranking points. They were drawn into Group 11 alongside fellow Mandalanusan nations Eraman and Hintuwan as well as far more established footballing nations such as Edsmontik, Busoga Islands and Qusmo. Very little was expected of them at the start with most placing them second bottom of the group.

And just like Eraman, Serumpun's campaign has been disastrous so far. Continuing from their 3 successive defeat at the Baptism of Fire, Serumpun needed nine matches before they found their first ever win in international football only to continue on losing way after that.

At halfway point, Serumpun sits at the bottom of Group 11 with six points, only two points behind Eraman in 7th place. For a team which lack international experience, remaining competitive already represents a respectable debut on the international stage.

Media Prediction: 9th
Current Position: 10th

6. Masraya

Masraya is another debutant in the 101st World Cup qualifier and one of the three Mandalanusan nations coming into the qualifier unranked. They did not even participate in the Baptism of Fire. So no one knows what to expect of them. They were drawn in Group 10 alongside 6th-ranked Tikariot, 28th-ranked Kanzlia and 51st-ranked The Holy Empire. Most expected them to struggle badly and finish bottom of Group 10.

But instead, Masraya surprised everyone as they sit 3rd in Group 10 at halfway point, ahead of more established footballing nations like The Holy Empire and not far behind Kanzlia for one of the two automatic qualification spots. A shock 3-1 home victory over The Holy Empire immediately established Masraya as more than just another debutant trying to be competitive. Defeat to Tikariot and Kanzlia was expected but what impressed many was how Masraya responded afterwards and collected consecutive victories which lifted them firmly into the race for the playoff spots.

For a nation coming into the qualifiers unranked and predicted to finish bottom, Masraya's campaign has already been one of the biggest Mandalanusan stories of the 101st World Cup qualifiers so far, only behind Bhumi Matawis Empire.

Media Prediction: 10th
Current Position: 3rd

7. Hintuwan

Hintuwan is another Mandalanusan debutant coming into the qualifiers unranked and with zero international experience. Drawn into the same group as fellow Mandalanusan nations Eraman and Serumpun alongside stronger footballing nations such as Edsmontik, Qusmo and Busoga Islands, no one expected anything from them and most predicted them to finish bottom of Group 11.

Their campaign also started badly with a 4-2 home defeat against Legalese. However, unlike Serumpun, Hintuwan responded immediately with a comfortable 2-0 victory over fellow Mandalanusan debutants Serumpun to secure their first ever win in international football. A heavy defeat away to Edsmontik followed and at that point, many expected their campaign to slowly collapse from there. But Hintuwan continued to surprise people afterwards. Goalless draw against Qusmo and Busoga Islands surprised everyone. Everyone thought they would lose that but they remained resilient in front of their own fans. The 3-2 victory over fellow Mandalanusan nation Eraman also ensured they completed a Mandalanusan double after beating Serumpun earlier.

At halfway point, Hintuwan ended the first half of the qualifiers in 6th place with 11 points, only a point behind Kandorith who occupies the last playoff spot and three points ahead of Eraman and five ahead of Serumpun. If they can continue to surprise everyone, a playoff spot is not impossible.

Media Prediction: 10th
Current Position: 6th

8. Nueva Compostela

Nueva Compostela is the last of the four Mandalanusan debutants in the 101st World Cup qualifiers. And just like Masraya and Hintuwan, they entered the campaign completely unranked, having not entered the Baptism of Fire or any previous regional competition. Drawn into Group 3 alongside more fancied nations such as Valanora, Baker Park, Sarzonia and Milchama, most expected them to finish bottom of the group.

And at halfway point, that is exactly where they are, at the bottom of Group 3 with only 5 points. There was actually some hope in the beginning when they secured their first ever international win with a 1-0 home win over Andossa Se Mitrin Vega in their second match. It was then followed by a draw away to Equestria and at home against Qasden. Suddenly Nueva Compostela looked capable of fighting for points consistently as they sit at 6th after 4 matches. But then things turned disastrous for Nueva Compostela as they lost every single one of their matches after that.

At halfway point, automatic qualification appears impossible for Nueva Compotella but if they can turn things around, a playoff spot is still within reach as Equestria who currently occupies the last playoff spot is only 6 points ahead.

Media Prediction: 10th
Current Position: 10th

__________

At halfway point of the 101st World Cup qualifiers, Mandalanusa may still be far from one of the major footballing regions in the world. None of its nations were expected to qualify when the draw was made and for several of them, qualification still appears highly unlikely.

But after nine matches, the perception surrounding Mandalanusan football is no longer quite the same. Bhumi Matawis Empire has emerged as one of the biggest surprise packages of the qualifiers while Masraya's impressive debut campaign has caught many off guard. Biyambi recovered strongly after a disastrous start, Hintuwan proved far more competitive than expected while even Sharktail, Serumpun and Nueva Compostela all managed to produce respectable performances despite their struggles.

With another nine matches still left to play, the road to the 101st World Cup remains extremely difficult. But regardless of how the qualifiers eventually end, the first half of the campaign has already shown that football in Mandalanusa is beginning to move forward.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Thu May 14, 2026 10:30 am

Previously on WC101, KP wrote:But if the Workers' campaign could associate the PKP with pro-Isolation sentiment - even if it was off the back of one senior member's thoughts from the era the country was so proud to leave behind, and from when he represented the party behind it rather than its avowedly centrist spinoff - everything could change...

"We need to contact Alice before deciding anything." Alice, of course, being Alice Mulholland-Pearce, the party leader and Prime Minister. She was about to start an NBO Radio interview at this point - talking up her party's record in office and arguing against a change, no doubt, and the manner in which she approached the latter was going to be crucial. How would she talk about the PKP, with their nominal emphasis on centrism and anti-isolationism that her own party researchers had just seen potential evidence to undermine? Ambiguity seemed likely to be the approach from what little she'd previously said about them - and everyone knew that staying quiet made some tactical sense in a world where poll after poll suggested that they'd be potential kingmakers and their own messaging has embraced this possibility - but would she be prepared to attack them now? And would that change if she knew what her back office now did?

Anyway, the time came: the Prime Minister appearing on Maura Hattenstone's NBO Radio 4 afternoon show - not often one that had the big interviews of the day, but it did happen every so often - for an interview that would likely draw a larger audience than most TV broadcasts would, at least at this time of day. (How much attention would be paid to it by said audience was another matter, of course.)

There were some generic questions thrown in around how the campaign was seen to be going, but the notable one came when Maura did directly ask about coalition possibilities and mentioned the PKP in doing so.

The PM's response was typically non-committal, but did have one thread to tie in to a future attack.

"I think the most important thing with any agreement we make is that we do not go back to the Isolation, memories of which have absolutely scarred a lot of the older people in this country - and the younger generation coming through, some of whom will be voting perhaps for the first time this election, won't be able to understand the idea that this proud sporting nation literally didn't have national sports teams for a generation, and if they asked their parents I don't think some of them would be able to explain it either. So that's the ultimate non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned, and I think at least publicly all the opposition mainstream parties - the NUP, the PKP, even the VNP (Varnian National Party) at this point have disowned the moral panic because they've seen we haven't had an RPD epidemic, we have had moments to make our nation proud, and overall we are a stronger Kytlerian nation as a result of the Reopening and must never turn back. And then it's just a case of what kind of electoral arithmetic comes from the final results and obviously our campaign is aimed at winning as many seats as we can to be in the best position possible, because the period of one-party dominance has ended and there will be negotiations to make one way or another."

In short, everything was in play as long as the isolationists were, well, isolated...

by **Dantopia** » Thu May 14, 2026 10:41 am

VOL. 46,155

LION CITY, DANTOPIA

THURSDAY 14TH MAY, 2026

₵100

Second Successive Draw Drops Lions to Second

Dantopia Remain Unbeaten But Matches Against Eshialand And Tanirinthia Will Prove Pivotal

By SAUL ARNSTEIN

Cloud Park
Gwarkos0-0Dantopia
Half Time: 0-0

See also... MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4

GWARKOS — Rick Bishop's side were held to a scoreless draw, failing to shine against Group 4 rival Gwarkos, away from home. However, quality shown throughout the match by Winston Akana meant that the Vna-Chuhul Ravens goalkeeper recorded his second clean sheet of the qualifying campaign against 'the Magi'. Efnysien Kalon hit the woodwork in the second half, whilst Maverick Johnson had the Lions' only shot on target in the dying embers of a disappointing fixture, at least for the standards the Dantopians have set thus far in qualifying.

The heavily rotated Dantopian team struggled offensively from the outset, failing to break down the well-organised defensive low-block employed by the Gwarkosians. Added to that, the weather — a damp, drizzly and foggy affair for the entirety of the ninety minutes — meant that visibility was poor, the surface remained slippery, and unforced errors were prevalent for both teams. It was a thoroughly untidy spectacle at Cloud Park, which is typically known for cloudy and hazy environment, but the added deluge made it that much harder for both sides to play to the best of their abilities. Indeed, it took some time for the Lions to impose themselves on the match at all, with many of the early chances coming the way of the home side, though mostly on the break.

Winston Akana

Math Kerrig angled an early sighter, and following that, the heroics of Akana were already on display. In just the sixth minute of the match, Gwawl Siarkol's through ball carved the Lions defence wide open and Llywela Blaidd had galloped through. As the home team crowd anticipated an opening goal, it was instead Akana diving to make a spectacular save and deny the Magi forward. Dantopia's best chance of the first half fell to Adeyemi in the twentieth minute. Alex St. James — making his national team debut — rolled a free kick to him, but, from a promising position just outside the box, the veteran Grenadiers winger placed his shot wide of Kreiddylad Kalon's right-hand post.

The home team were able to pounce and march straight up the other end of the pitch, with Bran Kalon spinning past Tyson Taylor, but Akana was again out bravely to deny the striker. A corner taken by St. James looked promising when Zeke Edwards rose above the parapet of defenders and steered it towards goal, but the leap from the 6'4" Waiakea Warriors forward proved too much in the end, and the trajectory of the ball never got under the crossbar. Then, a scrappy period of play followed. Maverick Johnson slipped at the worst possible moment on what would have been a glorious chance on the break, just inside the first-half's stoppage time. Then, Elleby Young mis-kicked a half-chance following a blocked volleyed effort from Adeyemi, which had diverted towards the 22-year-old Stein-los Turkish midfielder.

Seven minutes after the half-time team-talk, Bishop's men looked slightly more energised, when a pass by Opetaia rebounded kindly for Edwards, but the striker could not take advantage, attempting to square the ball to the onrushing Adeyemi, Gofannon making an important clearance for the Magi. This was then the period where the Lions started to assert themselves, at least in terms of possession, though the well-orchestrated low block continued to stifle the visitors. Nothing more than half-chances were created for the attacking trio of Adeyemi, Edwards and Johnson, with the former being hooked on the hour mark for Alexander Apeti. This was one of two changes on the right-hand side, as Will Cross replaced DeAnthony Moorhouse, and assumed the captain's armband from Adeyemi, as the 32-year-old exited the pitch.

Another chance for the Magi was conjured, and Winston Akana was called into action again, making a vital stop which prevented Bran Kalon converting a chance from an expertly threaded ball by Gwawl Siarkol. Then, the effort that was the closest to producing a goal all game came in the 71st minute, not for the Lions, but for the hosts. Efnysien Kalon played a one-two with Llywela Blaidd and then fired an excellent right-footed shot that thudded off the upright, with Akana finally beaten this time around. Red flags were firmly raised for a sodden Rick Bishop in the dugout, who after wiping his brow — perhaps from relief as well as from the rain — made some more personnel changes to try and reestablish Dantopia's control on the game.

A trio of changes followed, with Dalton O'Higgins replacing Dwight Krol, Sam Hughes coming on for Elleby Young, and Zeke Edwards making way for Negan Nakoa — the 20-year-old San Vanipola FC forward making his international debut. O'Higgins made an almost instant impact, when a bombarding run down the left flank was followed by a delightfully whipped cross into the penalty area. Unfortunately, it was just a little too high for Nakoa — whom, if he had been the height of the substituted Zeke Edwards instead, might have just reached it.

Group 4 World Cup 101 Qualifying Round
POSNATIONPWDLGFGAGDPTS
1  Sudilia           5   4   0   1   11   6   +5   12
2  Dantopia          5   3   2   0   10   4   +6   11
3  Lisander          5   3   0   2   14   12   +2   9
4  Eshialand         5   3   0   2   9   8   +1   9
5  Tanirinthia       5   2   1   2   8   7   +1   7
6  Saperetia         5   2   0   3   4   5   -1   6
7  Xanneria          5   2   0   3   10   13   -3   6
8  Gwarkos           5   1   2   2   4   8   -4   5
9  Auprussia         5   1   1   3   5   7   -2   4
10  Allamunnic States 5   1   0   4   4   9   -5   3

Dantopia's sole shot on target was finally registered at the death, as Maverick Johnson forced Kreiddylad Kalon's only save of the game. An excellent ball from Opetaia out wide, and an incisive cut back from O'Higgins left Johnson in the left half-space, with acres of room for a shot. His effort was destined for the top-far corner, but a superb diving save from the Gwarkos number one denied the Lion City FC winger, and the resultant play from the corner won didn't amount to anything of value for the Lions. The referee blew the full-time whistle, to bring an end to a contest that will not live long in the memory.

The draw slides Dantopia down to second in the group, following match-day five, and with upcoming fixtures against the two highest ranked sides in the group — Eshialand and Tanirinthia, logic might dictate that the Lions may be able to get back on top. The Eshialand fixture does come with the advantage of playing in front of a raucous home crowd at the National Team Stadium in Lion City, however. The home support will need to help the Lions in every way they can as they face an Eshialand side that hasn't quite been at the races thus far, especially away from home. An unlikely positive result from this fixture would go a long way to helping cement Dantopia's position near the top of Group 4. It might be safe to assume the rotated side against Gwarkos will be replaced by a strongest possible eleven against 'the Owls'.

xg.unit
1d

Gwarkos (0.84) 0-0 (0.91) Dantopia #GWAvsDAN #WorldCup101 #Qualifying #Group4

Expected Line-up — MD11 @ Sudilia:

Starting Eleven:
GKP: 1. Winston Akana
DEF: 2. Sam Robinson-Tate — 5. Makaio Cruz-Richards — 4. Tyson Taylor — 3. Dalton O'Higgins
MID: 11. Nico Hollins — 8. Ezra Cunningham (C) — 6. Omari Opetaia — 7. Jeremiah Taramaia
FWD: 10. Zeke Edwards — 9. Bradini Brunson
Available Substitutes:
13. Alex Bullvale — 12. DeAnthony Moorhouse — 14. Keegan Foster — 16. Kaleb Kahananui — 18. Sam Hughes — 20. Johnny Kealoha — 17. Adebayo Adeyemi — 19. Negan Nakoa — 15. Zaïre Thomas

Expected Line-up — MD12 vs. Lisander:

Starting Eleven:
GKP: 1. Alex Bullvale
DEF: 2. Raphael Lacroix — 4. Sam Robinson-Tate — 5. Makaio Cruz-Richards — 3. Kaleb Kahananui
MID: 8. Ezra Cunningham (C) — 6. Sam Hughes — 10. Johnny Kealoha
FWD: 11. Nico Hollins — 9. Bradini Brunson — 7. Jeremiah Taramaia
Available Substitutes:
13. Winston Akana — 12. Will Cross — 15. Emerson Cromwell — 16. Dalton O'Higgins — 18. Elleby Young — 20. Bradley Bing — 17. Alexander Apeti — 19. Zeke Edwards — 14. Maverick Johnson

OOC DISCLAIMER: The likenesses of players and managers have been created with the help of generative AI. Every other image in this RP was completely hand-made.

by **Aleirave** » Thu May 14, 2026 10:42 am

Just Like Before

“Haulafo, can you describe what it’s like to be managing in Lahaira again?” Sergei Alinov, reporting for the Lahaira Reporter, asked the manager.

“If I had to be honest with you, I really wasn’t sure how this was gonna go. I wasn’t sure how much the island wanted to see me around, or if I could do what it took to make the people proud of this team again… but feeling that energy again? There’s simply nothing like that feeling, nothing in the whole world.”

This energy that oozed out of the Old Grounds was what ended up carrying the Seagulls through the halfway point of World Cup Qualifying. In their last match of the first half, they walloped last-place Haltoria by a score of 5-1, bringing them up to an auto-qualification spot for the first time all cycle. If anything signaled the return of classic Seagull-ball, that unapologetic attacking style that this team had made a name for itself playing, it was this one match.

Not only was the team now in second place at the halfway mark, but there were signs of even more promise in the back half. First of all, the matches against both of the top 2 seeds were going to be held in Lahaira this time around, and with the Seagulls already drawing StrayaRoos away and momentum being in their favor heading into the Vdara matchup, things couldn’t look better. The main concern in the second half would be the away match in Pomachetti on MD16, but that was a while away yet and with Haulafo back managing the squad, it was more than manageable.

Of course, the first test in this second half would be against Vdara. With Vdara being the second seeds in the group while Aleirave were the third, this would undoubtedly be the most competitive matchup for the Seagulls this whole cycle, with winning this match being a good indicator that they could finish top 2 and see themselves back into the World Cup.

Football at the Old Grounds takes on a different flavor than it does anywhere else. The conventions of the sport start to melt into mush, with a bean-y note coming from the particular opponents visiting today, and the distinctive aroma of fish taking over due to a strong wind from the west. All of these tastes produced a vibrant attacking composition from both sides, with the final score taking the full 90 minute cooking time before it was ready to taste.

At the end, the score read Aleirave 4, Vdara 3. Was it a clean win? No, it was unclear from the very start who was going to end up having the upper hand in this matchup, but the Seagulls definitely earned and deserved this win. With Pomachetti losing their away match in StrayaRoos (impressively only by 2 goals, considering that they were débutants going up against a team just outside the top 10), this brought Aleirave into first place in the group, a result thought inconceivable before Haulafo made his return to the team.

What comes next as the rest of the second half looms? For starters, the next pair of matches would be @Maritaine, vs. MIR. The first Maritaine match had been quite close, just a 1-0 win in Lahaira, but with the Seagulls back to being in their ideal form, this matchup against their eighth-place opponents was seen as very winnable. On the other hand, while the away match in the MIR was a dominant 3-0 win, the Martians have been in a much better run of form lately, meaning they did pose a threat in Lahaira, even if that threat was somewhat mitigated by the strong home pitch advantage from playing at a field as unusual as the Old Grounds were.

These would be the Seagulls’ last two matches before squaring off against StrayaRoos, so setting a good tone going into that match would be key. “I think we all want to make sure we’re firing on all cylinders going into a must-win like that one,” Haulafo said, “and personally, I don’t think we’ve ever been more ready. This is our time to shine.”

by **Pyazhnaya** » Thu May 14, 2026 10:52 am

The six points against the Russian Empire EHA and Doychnya probably should have made everything feel calm, professional and controlled. Instead, the atmosphere around the national team has somehow become increasingly... unhinged.

Which, admittedly, is mostly our fault.

The training video releases three days after the Doychnya game. Absolutely beautiful thing. Official federation branding, inspirational orchestral music, the works.. Slow-motion shots of training under heavy rain outside Krasnograd (I admit, we could have timed that one better because two hours later there was bright sunshine, but hey, just shows that Pyazhnayans don't care about weather, right?). We had it all: Maksimilian thundering a shot into the top corner, Lina weaving between poles with frightening precision, Naira flattening one of the youth call-ups in a shoulder challenge hard enough to briefly alter his ancestry.

It was beautiful stuff. Very serious stuff. Very patriotic stuff.

Drone shots sweep across the Krasnograd skyline (until I accidentally sniped it right of the air, sorry Naira), while inspirational text fades onto the screen:

"Discipline."

"Unity."

"Purpose."

Then comes the problem.

Because somebody, allegedly accidentally, leaves the microphones rolling during one of the tactical sessions. Coach Agratova is halfway through explaining pressing triggers when my voice drifts in from somewhere off-camera.

"I'm telling you, gulls are high-risk fullbacks."

Danila immediately responds. "No, gulls are chaos merchants. Crows are midfielders."

Agratova pauses mid-sentence and the entire room in the video goes quiet.

Then Lina's voice, hesitant but genuine: "I think ducks would make good holding midfielders."

A long silence.

Then Naira, sounding deeply disappointed in humanity. "Why are we discussing waterfowl tactics during a World Cup qualifying campaign?"

Danila replies instantly. "Because football is about evolution. And don't they always call things fowl play?"

The video cuts sharply back to dramatic music and slow-motion sprint drills as though nothing happened. The internet explodes within forty minutes. Clips spread everywhere. Fan edits appear almost immediately. Somebody animates tactical diagrams comparing migratory bird behavior to positional rotations. The phrase "ducks in the double pivot" trends on AuraCast for nearly sixteen hours. And best of all? The federation's official account accidentally posts the unedited version first. By the time anyone notices, it already has three million views and countless downloads to "preserve the wholesomeness." No, I'm not kidding, someone actually called it that.

"That part wasn't even us," Zuldi says proudly over breakfast the next morning.

"Nature is healing," Danila replies.

Nothing from Zubova. Yet. But she is watching. We know that. So, we do what any reasonable football team would do. Two days later, we escalate.

The simulcast stream goes live simultaneously on AuraCast, The Forge, and Cypher at exactly eight in the evening.

The thumbnail is deceptively innocent:

PYAZHNAYA NT COMMUNITY NIGHT

The federation media staff, perhaps foolishly assuming this would be a wholesome fan-engagement event, even help promote it. And, let's be honest, at first, it is entirely wholesome. Well, mostly.

Lina and Sonya answer fan questions while assembling tiny wooden boats from a local Pyazhnayan hobby kit. Maksimilian discusses recovery routines with alarming sincerity. Zuldi rates away stadiums entirely based on food quality.

"Beltzarga gets a seven."

"A seven?" I protest. "That place was architecturally hostile."

"The pastries were excellent."

"Fair."

Viewer counts skyrocket anyway. Hundreds of thousands become millions across all three platforms combined. Then Danila and I start freelancing. Which is exactly where things begin deteriorating.

Danila appears wearing tiny round glasses and holding a clipboard.

"Good evening everyone," he says in a deeply fake formal voice. "Today we will be discussing holistic football culture."

Naira physically recoils from across the room. I lose composure immediately, Lina laughs into a cushion.

Danila continues. "As part of our player-led organizational structure—"

Lina finally fully bursts into laughter before hiding behind one of the wooden boats.

"—we believe emotional authenticity is key to sustainable competitive ecosystems."

Naira points at him accusingly. "You're just generating phrases now."

"Modern problems require modern synergy."

"That's not a sentence."

The chat is moving so quickly it becomes unreadable. Someone donates asking whether gulls can play inverted wingback. Danila doesn't even hesitate.

"Only in transitional systems."

I nearly fall out of my chair, and off we go.

Meanwhile, Sonya discovers the stream filters. This is catastrophic. Within minutes everyone has accidentally acquired giant mustaches, glowing eyes, medieval helmets, or cat ears. Naira spends almost ten straight minutes trying to remove one that keeps turning her into a highly judgmental fox. "This app is garbage."

"You look distinguished," Zuldi says.

"I look cursed."

Then comes the moment that truly seals our fate. A viewer asks what the dressing room atmosphere is like before matches. For once, the room actually quiets.

Lina answers first, softly. "Honestly... nice. Relaxed."

Sonya nods. "There's pressure, obviously, but it doesn't feel oppressive."

Maksimilian leans back. "We trust each other."

Naira shrugs. "Turns out people perform better when they aren't terrified all the time."

And then Danila delivers the killing blow. "Yeah," he says casually, "we stopped trying to act like miserable soldiers all the time and suddenly qualified for two World Cups."

The room goes silent for half a second. Then everyone simultaneously realizes what he just said.

"Ohhhh no," Zuldi whispers.

The clip detonates across the internet before the stream even ends. By midnight, sports talk shows are debating "modern football culture." Former players are arguing on Cypher. Federation traditionalists are having collective aneurysms in real time. And somewhere, deep within federation headquarters in Krasnograd, Simona Zubova is almost certainly vibrating with fury.

We know this because at 1:14 AM, the official federation account releases a statement. A very stern statement. A statement about professionalism, discipline, organizational dignity, and "the dangers of excessive informality in elite sporting environments."

Attached beneath it is a photo from training earlier that day. Unfortunately for them, visible in the background behind Coach Agratova is me and Danila attempting to balance a football on Maksimilian's head while Lina films us. The statement is ratioed into oblivion within twenty minutes.

Danila stares at the screen in reverent silence. Then he slowly places a hand over his heart. "She's back."

by **Saperetia** » Thu May 14, 2026 11:14 am

Another Draw Sends Us To 2nd Last
Auprussia 1-1 Saperetia

After the losing streak was broken by the draw to Dantopia, Silivia is hoping that he can end the first half of the qualifiers with a better result. This will be tough against the 3rd rank in our group, Auprussia, who do stand only 6th in the group. Whether this is good news is debatable, as this means they will fight harder to try and reach the playoff spots at the end of the run. For both teams, getting a win here will be seen as a big step towards their goals. This was at stake as the SAP 4-3-3 lined up against the AUP 4-4-2:

Saperetia: GK Hranislav (C) DEF Abdelkader, Carloza, Damjan, Anatoliv MID Gil, Inget, Camilo ATK Jacques, Seppel, Friedhelm-Rodolf

Auprussia: GK Gallis DEF Vermanditre, Mensbard, Aregnac-Tignone, Di Portefenisa MID Vimnirre, Siebault, Thurisc-Arger, Lithobert ATK Audac, Mitregasque

The Auprussians, hoping to score an easy victory against a lower-ranked team, began the match off by constantly attacking the Saperetian defense. Despite repeated attempts, the net was only hit from the outside, with only a few shots actually coming on target, frustrating the home crowd. They were calmed at least by the statistic that the away side had even fewer accurate shots on account of the heavily defensive strategy. The Crimsonite defense had a tough time for the entire first half, and the two centerbacks looked tired, but satisfied, as the whistle to end the half blew, for they had stopped any attempt from actually going through. Neither of them returned for the 2nd half, as they were subbed off for Simon and Ante, with Silivia hoping that this fresh power would hold off the Auprussians for another 45 minutes. It ended up holding them off for about 4,5 minutes, when Audac walked right through the two to score a goal and give the home side the lead. A frustrated Inget took out this anger by getting a yellow card after the kick-off, and the team threatened to lose composure. Inget was therefore subbed off for Shah, who was put in a DM role, who managed to keep up the team's spirit from the centre of the pitch. As the team regained composure, a gap opened up which Shah exploited to send Seppel forward on a 1-on-1 with Gallis, which the striker used perfectly to level the score. The following 15 minutes were both sides desperately trying to score a second goal to keep their hopes for the World Cup alive, but neither managed to find one, ending the match with a for both sides unsatisfactory 1-1 draw.

At the half-way point of the qualifiers, the team stands an abysmal 9th, 7 points off of the playoffs spots and 10 off of automatic qualifiers. It is clear that if any hope is to be kept, the team needs to get better results than what it had so far. Silivia should also understand this, if he wants to return for the next edition of qualifiers. He has shown a slight inkling of nervousness, but he has also been relatively absent from any media appearances, somewhat frustrating fans who want to hold him accountable for any mistakes from the team.

Better Start Or False Hope?
Saperetia 1-1 Xanneria

The second half of the qualifiers stands right at the doorstep. This time, we host Xanneria, a team we lost to in the very first match. They sit right above us in the table, 1 point and place ahead in 8th, while being nearly 100 ranks higher than us. It has not been a fantastic qualifying run for them, and fans hope to see Silivia take advantage of this. The manager, who has been absent from the media recently, has being doing something behind closed doors, and people are hoping that this is an improvement to the team. And so, the two teams headed into part 2 of 101 WCQ as the SAP 4-3-3 lined up against the XAN 4-4-2:

Saperetia: GK Rafael DEF O'Connel, Carloza, Damjan, Simmage MID Hardin, Inget, Shah ATK Jacques, Kauko, Seppo

Xanneria: GK ? DEF ?, ?, ?, ? MID ?, ?, ?, ? ATK ?, ?

The lineup that headed out for the match was not one fans expected. Hranislav, the GK who has played every game so far, was swapped for Rafael and O'Connel and Simmage sat on the flanks of the defense. Hardin and Shah, who were playing relatively well, also had a starting spot while Kauko began just his 2nd ever game for the crimson, the previous one being the 1-2 loss in matchday 5 of WCQ 100, where he scored the lone goal for the team. The fans in attendance had a mixture of confusion, anger at not fielding the strongest team possible, joy at Silivia fielding the in-form Hardin and Shah, and excitement at the new strategies possible. Xanneria, following the example set by the Auprussians, attacked in hopes of scoring easy points and goals against a weaker opponent. This paid off quickly, as the Maroons scored 17 minutes in from the wrong positioning of Carloza and Damjan. While both of them had a terrible game, the debuting Rafael, O'Connel and Simmage with the dropping back Inget managed to hold off any further attacks to prevent another goal. It was clear that centerbacks needed to clear their heads and when they both received yellow cards towards the end of the first half, it was clear what was going to happen. The half-time whistle blew, ending the match for both men as they were subbed off again for Simon and Ante, who this time managed to hold off the attacks. As the second half wound down, Silivia made the decision to sub off Kauko for Seppel, but before the substitution could go through, Kauko shot out a cannonball from a couple meters out of the box, over the goalkeeper, and into the net, mimicking the goal in his previous match. Because the substitution was already set, he went off under an applause for the 80 minutes of great football he played. Despite the substitutions, both teams winded down their attacks in the remaining time, with them being visibly tired from a relatively physical match.

"A draw is better than a loss but worse than a win" were the words spoken two matchdays ago by Silivia. They now ring more true than ever, and they will be crucial in the next few matchdays. We have managed to improve our result against Xanneria to a win, but to have any chance of competing we need to win, not lose nor draw, against the next two opponents. They are Gwarkos and Allamunnic States, teams where we played 3-0, 1 win, 1 loss. If Silivia cannot bring the results home, it will be an easy justification if he doesn't return as manager in the next cycle. If he does win twice, he won't be entirely in the clear, but it won't be as easy to show him the door. Fans are questioning whether this result is an indication of improvement or just a cruel false hope to keep them entertained.

by **Banija** » Thu May 14, 2026 11:23 am

Banija cruising towards automatic qualification as we get past the halfway mark in World Cup Qualifying

HERZEGOVINA CITY, MORAVICA- We are just past the halfway mark in World Cup Qualifying, 10 games into an 18 game qualifying session. And for the Kadongo Kamu, well- things could not be going much better. When you're at the bottom of Pot 1 in Qualifying, it is a worrying place to be. Everybody wants you in their group in the draw, even if it's not necessarily because of you- but it's because they avoid nations like Valanora, Squornshelous, and Flavovespia, for example. Instead of completely off their games against the Pot 1, they know they've got a fighter's chance to beat us- and we once missed the World Cup Finals, entirely, despite being in the top 6 of the KPB ranks at the time. In fact, we've done so twice- World Cup 89, and World Cup 96. And then, of course, we've got three stars on our jersey- teams love to punch up, and take down former world champions- even if it's been a long time since we've sniffed even the semifinals of a World Cup. We went to three straight finals from World Cups 92-94, and then- we have only been to the Quarterfinals just once since then.

But, we can't solve our World Cup issues in Qualifying. When you are in Qualifying, the only thing you can do, by definition, is Qualify for the World Cup- and hopefully, do so without stress. This includes the stress of a race that goes to the Final Day (although, in fairness, you're not always in control of that), avoiding embarrassing upsets, and most importantly- qualifying directly, avoiding the stress of a Playoff entirely. Banija has done so thus far in this campaign- we have a loss, but it wasn't a massive upset (Darmen's a high quality team, with a lot of history). We have 25 points- 4 points ahead of second place Darmen, and 7 points ahead of the Golden Harp, who are in 3rd place.

Why is that important? Obviously, we want to win the group- so while nothing is promised, we are favorites in that endeavor, being more than a game ahead of our closest rival. But the ultimate goal, the truest goal, is direct qualification- and we're 7 points in the clear for that. Over two games ahead of the rest of the group, giving us quite a bit of breathing room. So while it hasn't been our best, or our most dominant Qualifying campaign, it is certainly effective at not only getting the job done- but doing so stress-free.

But it is only stress free if we can maintain form. If we have a big loss, or suddenly drop 2 in a row- well, then we're right back to rolling around in the mud, with all sorts of pressure on us. And the upcoming window is a difficult one. We host Sharktail in Herzegovina City, before traveling, away, to Zenic- a Pot 2 team who is currenlty in the thick of it right now. Currently in the final playoff spot, but not that far away from a better playoff spot- or even challenging Darmen for direct qualification. If we want to maintain things as they are, we demand, at minimum, a 4 point window- although it is a 6 point window that will truly ensure that we continue marching onward, unimpeded, towards World Cup 101.

by **Snestar** » Thu May 14, 2026 11:34 am

(AI generated image in the background)

WC101 Matchday 9: Snestar 4-0 Ko-oren
Goalscorers (Snestar):
17' Tero Sjölund (PK)
23’ Tero Sjölund
42’ Tero Sjölund
90+1’ Martin de Roux
Player of the Match: Tero Sjölund

(AI generated image in the background)

WC101 Matchday 10: Snestar 1-2 Al-Momenta
Goalscorers (Snestar):
90+2’ Elisa Baldriga
Goalscorers (Al-Momenta):
73’ [unknown]
85’ [unknown]
Player of the Match: [unknown]

Snestar demolishes Ko-oren, but shockingly loses to Al-Momenta: the Viola still 8 points above third place

Matchdays 9 and 10 certainly brought a rollercoaster of emotion for Snestaryan fans: firstly, the Viola managed to not only defeat 15th ranked nation Ko-oren, but put four whole goals against them (up until then, the Ko-orenites had only conceded a total of two goals in eight matches). However, right after such an impressive feat, the Viola suddenly crumbled against Al-Momenta, the lowest ranked of the group, falling behind in second place once again.

Snestar 4-0 Ko-oren: Match Summary

At the Stadio Olimpico in Dandelicha, no one could have expected such a polarizing result. The stadium was full with Snestaryans, which overwhelmingly outnumbered the Ko-orenites who’d travelled all the way to Snestar’s capital, were ready to see the Viola lose against a superior nation on paper. Still, when the players headed onto the pristinely maintained pitch, the Snestaryans started to casually catch their opponents inside of a perpetual bubble of controlled passing, despite the Ko-orenites being known for favoring highly defensive football. The first goal came from a penalty, successfully converted to a goal after Tero Sjölund forced Charley Mellowby to tackle him to prevent a clear-cut chance of the goal, then finally fooling keeper Goswijn Naaldemaker in the 17th minute by sending the ball flying towards the center of the goal as he dove to the right. With the Viola up by one goal, the Ko-orenites’ defense crumbled completely: just five minutes after the penalty kick, Tero Sjölund planted the ball right over Naadelmaker’s head with a cleverly placed chip shot in the 23rd minute. Edoardo di Palma then proceeded to instruct the Viola to transition into an offensive 4-3-3, to make use of the opponents’ mistakes to ease the pressure a little, with Balestri heading towards the midfield, while De Roux and De Filippi served as impromptu wingers. The first half was finally closed with a third goal by Tero Sjölund in the 42nd minute, with a corner-kick header to complete the hat-trick. With the Viola up by three goals, the players made sure to play more calmly, trying to reserve some energy for the next matches, resulting in a very underwhelming second half. Still, Martin de Roux managed to get his own moment of glory in stoppage time, completing the scoreline and allowing Snestar to conquer an incredible 4-0 victory.

Snestar 1-2 Al-Momenta: Match Summary

After the Viola’s surprising 4-0 victory against Ko-oren, the Snestaryan players walked into the Stadio Elena Maria Arentas with confidence and cockiness. Unfortunately for them, Al-Momenta was about to give them a thorough lesson in humility. The Viola initially started well, maintaining a rather uneventful balance with the first forty-five minutes of the match. But something started to break in Di Palma’s system: mistakes were made, chances were wasted… And no one seemed to figure out why. Elisa Baldriga missed a clear-cut chance that would’ve granted Snestar an easy goal, while Veronica Lodigiani played horrendously throughout the whole match. The first true crack in the ice occurred in the 73rd minute, when a terrible mistake by Federico Calvaresi caused Al-Momenta to go up by one goal. Now suddenly losing, the Viola plunged into complete chaos: the defense was disconnected with the midfield, leaving the attack stranded over Snestar’s half. Minutes passed, and with Al-Momenta’s second goal in the 85th minute, the Snestaryans’ hopes of securing first place were completely shattered. While Elisa Baldriga did somewhat redeem herself with a spectacular power shot in stoppage time, there was not enough minutes left to allow the Snestaryans to make a comeback, thus bringing the Viola to lose their first match of the WC101 qualifying rounds.

After the final whistle of Snestar - Al-Momenta, we decided to interview Edoardo di Palma. He seemed rightfully disappointed with the Snestaryans’ performance, though he was still not completely disillusioned in the idea of qualification.

“I genuinely can’t believe what I saw today. We played without a goal in mind, and that caused us to lose against a rosterless team. After the 4-0 against Ko-oren, I actually thought we were going to secure first place one and for all, and fly up towards the World Cup. But still, everything is yet to be decided: with eight matches left, and eight points in the lead, we ought to make sure we keep gaining points. Direct qualification is just around the corner: we simply need to focus, that’s all.”

Matchday 11 vs Kordavia
4-3-3 Formation
GK 1 Federico Calvaresi (C)
LB 22 Rinaldo Larizza
CB 23 Fabio de Rossi
CB 3 Valentino Garnati
RB 13 Marta Camilla Barami
CM 8 Nicola Acanfora
CM 14 Nicola Ragusa
CAM 16 Arminia Cremisi
LW 11 Mattia Castelletti
ST 7 Tero Sjölund
RW 27 Elisa Baldriga

Matchday 12 vs Konstantino
4-3-3 Formation
GK 1 Federico Calvaresi (C)
LB 22 Rinaldo Larizza
CB 4 Vittorio Gallerani
CB 32 Sebastiano Balestri
RB 13 Marta Camilla Barami
CM 25 Nicolò Fusar Bassini
CM 14 Nicola Ragusa
CAM 16 Arminia Cremisi
LW 17 Federico Marchesi
ST 7 Tero Sjölund
RW 27 Elisa Baldriga
(Matchday 12 will be played at the Stadio Martello in Gridorya, a 29000 seater home to Gridorya 1898.)

by **Vdara** » Thu May 14, 2026 11:44 am

On the face of it, results from the Vdaran squad thus far have been poor. Nobody has been quite able to chalk down what this is down to, but the blank expression on manager Markos Moustakakos' wrinkled, drooping face, and his hair (and style of football) getting greyer by the second could perhaps give an insight. His team talks, too, were no longer quite what they used to be, with his long and pacing rants replaced by a stationary whimper of sorts. Markos had, of course, been one of the few to have been involved in every Vdaran lineup, whether as a player or staff member, since the initial foray in WC84. 17 cycles later- having been a manager for 13 of them - the man was now 3 decades older, and it was beginning to show. The previous manager, the simply-named Lükækš Væñøœrëñbérghüïś, had been deposed mid-cycle in favour of Markos, and rumours were beginning to emerge that long-time captain-turned-assistant manager Tryfon Vlahiades was going to have a talk with the elder statesman of the team. He wouldn't have it all his own way, however, as another former captain seemed to be waiting in the wings for his chance to strike. Lambros Tantalopoulos, about 20 years younger than both men, found himself shunned from the team after a set of poor results several cycles ago, and still retained a strong sense of resentment. He quit football to manage his former club, South Newlandia's Walstreim Lions, and oversaw moderate success, before a downturn in form almost saw him depart to manage Kamijiro. This, however, didn't materialise, and sources close to Lambros suggested that he would rather hold out for the Vdara job than take that of someone else's. Nevertheless, taking advantage of a short break in fixtures, Tryfon and Markos took a walk through a cushty wee coastal town, a place seen as both as apt for tactical discussion.

"These walks are slower than they used to be, eh?" jibed Tryfon. Markos did not look best pleased.

"I may not walk as fast as I used to, but believe me when I say I could still kick your ass."

"What if I had a running start?"

"I'd catch you and rip you limb from limb if I had to."

"Even when we were players, I was always quicker. That's why you were in goals."

"No, Tryfon, I was in goals because I was fucking fantastic at it. You were a right back because you were useless with your hands."

"Left back, actually. And I was useless with my hands because it's football."

"Ah, right you were. Memory isn't serving me as well these days. I do, however, remember much of those early days like they were yesterday."

"Like the times we played together?"

"Yeah, all the good memories..."

"Remember when you got pished and they had to start another keeper? What a riot!"

"Aye, I don't think the gaffer was too pleased with me that time."

"Or the time you and I ended up in the Informer because we went on a night on the town after the first qualification in 87?"

"Amazing feeling. Lükækš ripped me a new one that day."

"You learned a lot from him, didn't you?"

"We all did. He was a great guy."

"Not a patch on you, though."

"You don't have to try and flatter me, Tryfon, we've only known each other nearly forty years."

"That long already? Man."

"Mmmmhm."

"Crazy to think you were essentially bossing me around for 16 of those years, too."

"Not sure what the fuck you mean, I've been bossing you around since day one."

"Who was captain for 22 years?"

"And who was giving you a bollocking for nearly double that? That's right, yours truly."

"In fairness, one of the main reasons I wanted to do this wasn't just to discuss tactics, but to discuss your future."

"Here we go."

"Now now, Markos, don't be like that. It's just that you're getting to be quite an old man now, and a lot of people seem to think it's because of your... how can I put this lightly..."

"My age. My appearance. The fact we've been pumped off Pomachetti and Aleirave. I've fucking noticed, mate. I don't need you telling me. I get a lot of shit from most other angles in my life. I don't see myself when I look in the mirror anymore. Even my ego is vanishing, and I needed that to thrive. I'm a husk. A fucking husk."

"Markos, no-"

"Does any of it matter anymore?"

"I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, Markos."

"You know, this. Life, sport, anything. We're all pawns in an ever-shittening world."

"What's gotten into you?"

"I was reading a book on existentiality. You know, Aristotelian-type shit. My wife got it from her book club and said I might enjoy it. And I did, but I just can't shake this feeling of hopelessness and doom."

"Ach, the world keeps turning whether we're here or not. You have to do your own thing to make it all worthwhile."

"That's the thing. The world will keep turning. All of them will. Specks of dust, billions of kilometres apart, y'know... really, we're all insignificant."

"With an attitude like that, you won't be a manager for much longer."

"I'm an old man, Tryfon. I don't quite have the vigour I once had. The spirit is there, it tries to come out, but it sometimes falls short, and wallows in inner self-pity. It's like erectile dysfunction for the whole body. Do you think they sell that? Full-body Viagra?"

"The players need you, though. They need the Markos who has been there, who has done that, and who knows how to get the place rocking."

"How am I meant to get the place rocking when I can hardly get myself rocking? It's not a nice feeling, you know."

"Listen, listen. Clearly, you need a bit of a rest. I think anyone can see that. But nobody wants to see you leave the role. After all, this is your home. To many, you are Vdara. It just wouldn't be the same without you."

"It would, though. Players will keep coming through no matter what, someone else - maybe you! - will take up the mantle, and the fans would cheer if eleven goats walked onto the pitch in a blue and gold top."

"Now there's an idea..."

"Shut up! This is not The Holy Empire. Or Mriin, for that matter. We play humans, and the occasional computer. The moral fibre of our nation cannot be corrupted by getting anthropomorphics involved."

"See? There's the passion you've been after! All it took was the threat of goats."

"Enough, enough of the goats! I would sooner play myself than allow a goat to play for this country."

"But am I not the GOAT?"

"You certainly bleat like one."

"I talk sense. Anyway, enough of this. It's clear to me that you just need a boot up the arse, as you'd happily have given any of us years ago."

"Don't fucking start."

"So, I'll give you an ultimatum."

"That's my fucking job!"

"If you fuck up in either of the next two games..."

"Lord, give me strength..."

"Then we're going to do this again. And again. And again."

"I will be in the harbour if you try and drag me out here for a motivational speech."

"And if results don't improve, then perhaps someone else will be ready to step up."

"Aye, wee Lambros probably."

"I was kind of hoping you would say me. I was the captain for so long, after all."

"Don't expect flattery from me, boy. I'll still be choosing who comes after me."

"I don't think you have that authority."

"Who says? I'm the capo. I'm the boss. This is my garage, I fucking own it. I own you, mate. This is not a democracy, this is not a government. You don't get to parachute yourself into a safe seat to threaten me. I am unthreatened. You cannot fuck me over. I am unfuckable."

"What was it you said about Viagra earlier?"

"Ram it, tadger. I intend to be here for longer, despite my inadequacies, and my general distaste with our place in the universe, and among other nations and planets and other space bullshit."

"Do you believe in aliens, like?"

"There are bears playing football, Tryfon. There are demigods fucking around with their own little private domains, fiddling with their fingers to generate the life within, a synthetic nation, with synthetic people, and synthetic experiences. Of course I believe in aliens. There's probably an alien dictating what we do right now."

"What makes you say that?"

"Look at the specky fucker."

"Markos, there's nobody here."

"Look at him! He's tapping away at his keyboard like there's a novel coming. He's making out that I'm old and tired when it's his fucking fault!"

"You've gone mental."

"None of us are mental. We're all just pawns. Pawns to our overlords, slamming their hands on keyboards and phones to make little string puppets dance. Do you want to dance, Tryfon? Do you? Shall we have a party? Shall we invite the Screwdrivers of Eastern Vdara?"

"You've made your point."

"There's more where that came from, bucko."

"Shall we make our way back to the car?"

"Gladly."

The two men meandered back to Markos' red sports car - once defaced by Kamijiroan vandals, but now shinier than ever. If there was anything Markos did truly care about, it was his pride and joy. God knows why Tryfon was allowing him to drive it if he had concerns about his mental state, but it's not as if he was exactly a great thinker either. Alas.

by **The Sernetian Empire** » Thu May 14, 2026 12:00 pm

SERNESPORTS TV

contents:
1) Frustrating 3-3 draw versus Afanc Strait
2) Shocking 5-4 loss against Drawkland
3) Pre-match analysis
4) Guide for away fans

Frustrating 3-3 draw to Afanc Strait
Peter Ram-Ostorisk

Sernet was taken by surprise at the 3-3 draw versus Afanc Strait, the bottom-placed team in Group 9 who had neglected to put names on their players' shirts. The Sernetian fans were almost certain that this would be an easy 3 points, with the fans making fun of the fact that the Afanc Strait players appeared to be unnamed, chanting "THAT GUY THERE WHAT IS HIS NAME! WE'RE GONNA WIN THE BLOODY GAME!"

The match started off with the Steamers dominating possession, and an early snipe by Sporius Bolsting at the 5th minute that sent the keeper flying looked as if it was going to define the flow of the rest of the match. The stadium shook with deafening cheers while supporters hugged strangers, jumped up and down, and sang chants at the top of their lungs. The problem was, a setback was creeping closer and closer, and the defensive structure seemed less sharp today than usual. After an unsuccessful counterattack by Afanc Strait, the ball was cleared up the pitch by Adam Doryszczykiewicz. His clear was received by the goalkeeper, who took his chances with an immense boot right back into the sernetian box; this boot bounced off of a striker's head... straight into the goal, just out of Tomasz Pasarowski's reach, at the 19th minute. The scoreline was level. The match pressed on and a splendid run by Zbigniew Komstrowski led to a smooth pass which penetrated the defence to Lansor Sakayo, who at the 32nd minute pummelled the ball into the back of the net, restoring Sernet's lead. A roar of pure happiness echoed around the arena as the crowd celebrated the wonderful goal with nonstop chanting and applause, alongside the players who were all celebrating at the corner. The earlier goal by Afanc Strait was seen as a tiny slip-up which wouldn't happen again, and the first half ended with Sernet 2-1 up.

However, during the second half, Sernet's expectations were subverted yet again. At the 47th minute, an Afanc Strait midfielder successfully tackled Salod Zerning, after which he took a chance at the goal. The atmosphere inside the stadium became tense when Pasarowski slammed heavily into the goalpost during a desperate attempt to stop the ball from crossing the line, leaving him lying injured on the ground in visible pain as players gathered around with worried expressions. The referee immediately stopped the match and medical staff rushed onto the pitch to assist him; he was substituted for Polin Twisk. After some time, the match resumed. A through ball by a defender from Afanc Strait went untouched all the way into the box, where a messy free-for-all resulted in a penalty for Afanc Strait following a foul by Bartosz Głoliń. The penalty, taken at the 65th minute, was flung viciously into the back of the net, sending Twisk the wrong way. However, Bartosz Głoliń later scored at the 74th minute; A free kick taken by Korolianus Stork led to a header by Głoliń, once again reinstating Sernet's lead. The away stands erupted with the sounds of passionate celebration, but deep down, everyone was afraid that something bad would happen again, and the lead would slip out of Sernet's hands yet again. The dreaded moment came at the 86th minute, when Twisk attempted to clear the ball away, but the boot was rebounded by an Afanc player, through Twisk's legs and across the goal line; the third equaliser of the game. The away stands went silent with disbelief. What was happening in front of the eyes of the players and supporters was not real. Stoberus Pond and Don Steakman sat with their jaws dropped.

During the last few minutes of the game, the Steamers kept pressing, but the 4th goal never arrived. Stork came frustratingly close at the 90th minute, not long before stoppage time, but his shot was deflected by a defender. The full-time whistle was blown, wrapping up the disappointing match. What was expected to be a match with plenty of goals ended up that way, but instead of all of them being against Afanc Strait, the six goals were evenly distributed between the two sides.

Final Score:
Afanc Strait 3-3 Sernet

Goals:
Sernet: Bolsting 5', Sakayo 32', Głoliń 74'
Afanc Strait: Goalscorer I 19', Goalscorer II 65', Goalscorer III 86'

Shocking 5-4 loss against Drawkland
Tadeusz Uwalksi

For those who thought the game against Afanc Strait was high-scoring, wait until you see this one. But at least we managed to salvage a single point out of that one. Here, we got zero and had our goal difference reduced by one. At least we scored 4 goals though; losing 5-4 is always better than losing 1-0.

The Corps Central Pitch in Drawk City was almost instantly packed with Sernetian and Drawklandian fans, with the sernetians hoping for a better result than the last match while the drawklandians had their fingers crossed for a comeback from 9th place. Everything seemed to be going smoothly at the start, with an early attempt by Wasori Oluwawa being on the brink of success. The atmosphere in the stands was lively and electric from the start, one hundred thousand spectators fuelling it.

The first goal came at the 16th minute; a swift cross from Stefan Jatrowski to Zbigniew Komstrowski, who smashed the ball fiercely into the goal beside McKenna Reed, who was unable to stop Komstrowski's missile. The crowd exploded with joy when the ball hit the back of the net, and the Steamers celebrated too by sliding across the grass and embracing one another near the touchline. The Steamers reinforced the sernetian lead at the 25th minute, in the form of a perfect through ball by Stirius Mantrostem to Rami Alforez, who crossed the ball to Sporius Bolsting. Bolsting broke Nicole Warren's ankles before firing a chip into the top of the net, bringing Sernet's lead to 2-0. The stadium burst into life with thunderous applause and nonstop cheering as fans jumped up and down in excitement; it looked like the winless curse had finally vanished. However, at the 38th minute, a shot by Addyson Santana got past Pasarowski, bringing the score to 2-1 before halftime.

The second half was full of goals. A penalty was awarded to Drawkland, which was taken by Benbow, but was saved by a crisp dive from Pasarowski. Funnily enough, another penalty was awarded only 3 minutes later at the 51st minute, taken by Sporius Bolsting; this one went in. The sernetian crowd celebrated wildly in a sea of noise and colour. A 3-1 lead. Surely Sernet was unstoppable now.
Little did we know that three goals would be fired into the Sernetian goal in the next 20 minutes by Drawkland.
The first goal of the Drawklandian remontada came from a corner by Katalina Reeves, which came off Cecilia Benbow's head and into the goal at the 54th minute. At the 61st minute, a counterattack by Drawkland led to Carla Murray scoring a tap-in, equalising the score. Finally, at the 68th minute, Benbow scored a second goal from a rebound off of Pasarowski, who dived to save a shot by Santana. The Drawklandian fans were clearly elated at this comeback, but the sernetian fans were very worried that today was actually going to turn out worse than the previous game against Afanc Strait.

At the 82nd minute, an excellent run by Janusz Tworpowski, who weaved through midfield, built up to a pass to Bolsting, who delivered a crisp cross to Jatrowski, giving him the perfect moment to score the equaliser. A deafening roar echoed around the arena as the Sernetian supporters celebrated the late goal with chants and dancing and flares and flags. Were the Steamers going to win after all?
Unfortunately, at the 89th minute, Jamie Windsor scored the final goal of the match, a delicate but accurate shot which bounced off of Pasarowski's knee and into the goal. 5-4.

The Steamers were determined to score another equaliser. Dominik Zoliba executed a great through ball at the 94th minute, which led to a corner for Sernet. Pasarowski sprinted upfield for a chance to score. Oluwawa took the corner, which landed at Alforez's feet, but his shot came off the post. The whistle blew. Game over, and three points which could have been snatched were now gone.

Final score:
Drawkland 5 - 4 Sernet

Goals:
Sernet: Komstrowski 16', Bolsting 25', 51', Jatrowski 82'
Drawkland: Santana 38', Benbow 54', 68', Murray 61', Windsor 89'

Pre-match analysis: MD11 vs Anewkansas @ Sernetesen Lighthouse, MD12 vs Indusse @Adityavarma Kulashekara International Stadium
Czesław Jalińowski

P.s. We're keeping the lineup the same. Stoberus Pond and Don Swordsman will make sure all players do something for Sernet this world cup.

Table:

Group 9                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Flavovespia              10    8   2   0    21    8  +13    26
 2 Indusse                  10    6   3   1    28   18  +10    21
 3 Choppyhausen             10    3   5   2    12   10   +2    14
 4 Sernet                   10    3   4   3    20   19   +1    13
 5 Kharakia                 10    3   4   3    20   23   −3    13
 6 Eriadni                  10    2   5   3    19   20   −1    11
 7 Drawkland                10    2   5   3    17   21   −4    11
 8 United States of Alpha   10    3   1   6    18   18    0    10
 9 Anewkansas               10    2   1   7    15   21   −6     7
10 Afanc Strait             10    1   4   5    10   22  −12     7

We have been overtaken by Choppyhausen, who now sit above us in 3rd place. We have only gained a single point in the last two matchdays, keeping us grounded at 4th place, and only six points away from the bottom. This is where things get dangerous. We face the new 9th placed team Anewkansas at home in Sernetesen, followed by 2nd-placed Indusse, an away match. Matchday 11 should result in a Sernetian win, but Matchday 12 is a bit worrying. Only 6 points separate us and 10th place, but we should hopefully be safe... we're unlikely to make it for instant qualification at this rate but we certainly have a shot at the playoffs. I'll keep this one brief, have a good one guys!

Guide for away fans: How to reach Sernetesen Lighthouse Stadium

Welcome, Anewkansas fans, to the wonderful country of Sernet! Thank you for visiting Sernet. You may find that our extensive rail network may be challenging to navigate, or that you can't seem to find where Sernetesen Lighthouse stadium is. This guide is designed to help you!

When you arrive at Sernetesen Storimidros International (we're assuming that's where you land), follow signage until you end up at the SMR station for whichever terminal you land at - for you lot it's likely to be Terminal 4. From here you have two options: take the slow SMR service down to Sernetesen, or take the fast Airline service to Sernetesen Arsenal. We'd recommend you take the Airline; it gets you from the airport to Sernetesen in just 15 minutes (a bit longer if catching it from Terminal 4) for a very slightly higher fare. Once at Sernetesen Arsenal, utilise the covered walkway to get to Sanosia Junction. From there, catch a westbound SMR Lime Line service towards Damonesiyum. Be careful, most SMR lines have a ton of branches, and the Lime line is no exception. However, the Lime Line has helpfully been named after the colour it is shown as, so that's nice. Just make sure to catch either a train that terminates at Spaldensen Banks or a train that says it goes via Lighthouse Wharf. You shouldn't have to wait too long as frequency on the SMR is good. Get off at Lighthouse Wharf, and from there it is literally a 2 minute walk to the stadium. Sernet has an abundance of public toilets should you need the loo. The SMR train doesn't have toilets, but Airline does. Upon arrival at Lighthouse Wharf, you should find all the amenities you need; restaurants, cafes, shops, you name it. Free wifi is available at the airport, on the trains and at the stadium. If you wish to stay at a hotel, there are plenty relatively cheap but high quality hotels at Lighthouse Wharf. Staff will be at all mentioned stations and around the stadium to provide assistance. We hope this guide will allow you to navigate to your destination with ease. Enjoy your visit to Sernet!

The Team at Sernesports TV wishes Sernet luck.
From Left to right: Czesław, Damian, Salman, Peter, Bobby. Tadeusz and Grzegorz are not in this photo.

#thepowerofsernet

by **Saterun** » Thu May 14, 2026 12:12 pm

It had been a bit of a rough start to qualifiers for the 101st World Cup for the Claws. An opening loss to Delaclava hadn't instilled much confidence, and they were certainly slow getting started after that. However, eventually a few results had started to turn around. Back-to-back 4-1 wins midway through the first half had given vital points, and now results seemed to be swinging up. A 2-3 home loss to the reigning world champions was not the worst result in the world, and just yesterday the team had gotten revenge on Delaclava for that opening loss by winning 3-1 at home. A pair of Caesar Ibañez strikes inside the first half had set the hosts up well, and playing in the intimidating Tsear Tsuperdome seemed to be too much for the visitors to deal with. Although they did pull one back in the 56th minute, substitute Aleksander Vivić, a rising star in Saterun football, had re-established the two-goal cushion just a few minutes later.

Now, having already burned through half of their qualifying matches, the Claws were in a tricky situation. The group was tight, true, but they were still down in 4th. It was a 6 point difference from them up to the joint-top Squornshelan Remnant States and Oberour Ar Moro, and a three point difference to surprise package Soviet Kem. This was a nation that Saterun had actually beaten last cycle in the Cup of Harmony, and the Claws had actually gotten their first win of qualifying against them as well. In a couple of weeks, they would travel back to Soviet Kem for a crucial 6-pointer that could have huge ramifications for who got the vital 3rd place spot. In this format, it conferred a huge advantage, allowing the occupant to skip two rounds of playoffs.

In his office back in Saterun, a day before their flight to Sangti and the Filindo Isles, Handrix Casfo was worried. He knew that the Cup of Harmony win had bought him some time, but after an unspectacular performance in the IAC, he knew that the execs of the SFF were looking for a World Cup finals qualification, and nothing else. He didn't think he'd be fired, at least not directly. Most likely, they'd offer him some administrative role, and politely ask that he take it. There had once been talk of him moving to position of SFF commissioner, the highest position in the organization, but he'd chosen to stay on as manager. Now, as results struggled to come, it seemed like he might be nearing the end of the road. Historically, the SFF had been quite patient with managers, but the Claws had stagnated for too long now.

If Handrix wanted to keep his job, he knew he had to make some changes. Not any major ones, as the squad were starting to get some decent results, but some tweaks were definitely necessary. He already knew one change he'd make, at least for the next game. Aleksander Vivić had already proven himself in domestic football: he'd led Kierhuizen Boys of Taxhavn to second place in the SteuerLig, and earned a place in the Rising Stars Team of the Season for his effort. He'd also scored four times already this campaign, despite only starting one match. This next clash, in which Saterun had been held to a draw in the original fixture, was the perfect time for him to prove himself. The next group of core Saterun players was already starting to come through, and Vivić was firmly apart of that at only 21 years old.

Another key change Handrix planned on making was playing a bit wider, especially for the next few games. They traveled to Soviet Kem on matchday 13, and he had two weeks and two games to figure everything out before then. During the Cup of Harmony, wing play had been crucial to their triumph, but it had failed to impress during the IAC and Handrix had defaulted back to the more traditional buildup through the middle. But it wasn't lost on him the wide players that he was blessed to have. Sülimein Kalemanu and Anders VandeLlen were both gifted, young, and hungry, and he wanted to get them into the game more than they currently were. Kalemanu had had a decent start to the campaign, scoring 3 times and notching 6 assists, but VandeLlen hadn't made as much of an impact. Handrix didn't want to pull him out, as when he was on the ball he was very good, but due to the tactical style the Claws currently used he just wasn't on it all that much.

That likely wouldn't be all, but Handrix also didn't want to swing the pendulum too hard the other way. The win against Delaclava suggested that the Claws were finally finding their rhythm, and he didn't want to be the one to ruin that. He finished his notes, before closing up his laptop and locking the door. Everyone else had already gone home by now. He'd given them a very light training day, partially as a reward for the win yesterday and also to allow them to rest before their early-morning flight. All in all, Handrix had gotten very lucky. Even with a subpar performance up until this point, it seemed like everyone else had also had trouble getting going. This still left plenty of space for the Claws, and a lucky two-win window could vault them up the table. Handrix wasn't look at that quite yet, thought. For now, he just wanted to win the next one. As they say, all you have to do is go 1 and 0 every week.

by **Biyambi** » Thu May 14, 2026 12:24 pm

Voice Over:
“By the end of 50 seasons of the Ziwani football League, the Ziwani Archipelago had experienced great rivalries, dynasties, and the greatest players to have ever stepped on the football pitch.

Each of the Big 8 clubs had carved their own legacy which shaped Ziwani football and Biyambian football.

Western United, waUmrela, the Rebels, had become the ZFL’s greatest dynasty, winning a record 11 ZFL titles and more Challenge 555 trophies, about 6, than any other club whilst scoring a lot of brilliant goals. Furthermore, they were the most decorated side with 26 major trophies.

People will never forget Dean Dundunza’s golden generation at Mansanduni Union. The club ended with the second most trophies at 22, and would have even surpassed waUmrela if not for the tragedy of 1986.

Union’s rivals Mighty Rangers became the cup kings of Ziwana, winning the most Stanhope Challenge Cups and Life Mawene Top 8 trophies. They were the third highly decorated side with 21 trophies.

Ngwazi Strikers a side that was overly ambitious and did what it could to win from bombings, intimidation, to theft.

Red Falcons built dynasties across multiple generations. Who can forget their 3 straight league titles in the 70s, their rivalry and dominance against Black Leopards that saw them win 6 league titles between 1996 and 2005. With 20 major trophies to their name at the time they were fourth on the all-time trophies list.

Super Dynamos were the first big club and dominated in the ZFL’s early years. The Shockers won the top division in 1966, 1969, and 1973, finishing runners-up three times in 1968, 1970, and 1976. They had 11 major trophies that their fans were proud of.

ECOA and Black Leopards staked their legacy as the giant killers and the challengers in the later days of the Ziwani Football League.

Truly, the Big 8 really shaped Ziwani football in the ZFL era.

Their trophies, rivalries, politics, and legendary players really made football to become the top sport in the Ziwani Archipelago.

However, no discussion of the ZFL would be complete without the supporters, who were the heart and soul of the league and its clubs.”

Tasso Vatu (Western United Chief Supporter):
“Most people do not understand how football was back in the day. Most football fans were lower class, they were vendors, night ladies, factory workers, guards, and maids. They lived in slums in the cities or the small villages remaining in the cities.

These were the real hardcore fans. These are the fans who built the Ziwani football culture.

In the early days of the league, most fans would travel for hours in lorries, and three-tonnes alongside bags of farm produce, furniture, or farm animals.

The M1 would be filled with vehicles of singing fans.

It wasn’t easy.”

Williams Right Winger Kanyana (Sports Journalist):
“Ziwana is different from other countries, we don’t have football clubs selling food like burgers, hotdogs, and chips in stadiums. What we have is vendors outside the stadium selling food and alcohol as fans enter the ground and some vendor inside selling things like boiled eggs, fried or boiled ground nuts, freezes, uhm freezes is like frozen juice inside a plastic paper, its like a popsicle. Other vendors would walk around with a mbaula, a mbaula by the way is a traditional brazier or cookstove. They would walk around and fry meat for customers on it.”

Tasso Vatu (Western United Chief Supporter):
“It was Enuku Jim who shook things up a bit. He was a contractor and loved eating, especially boiled eggs.

He begun coming to the stadium with a big food warmer of nsima (Nshima, pap, fufu, sadza. He would buy a try of boiled eggs, beans outside, and meat if it was available. Then he would invite other fans to eat. He was a Red Falcons supporter.

Once as a joke he posted in the newspaper an ad that he and his friends could be hired to help with eating food at funerals, weddings, and other functions (laughing).”

Williams Right Winger Kanyana (Sports Journalist):
“Matchdays were community events.

Soon supporters begun to braai on the terraces during the match. No one cared.

Enuku Jim even begun eating competitions in the stands. You know he had a saying you can’t celebrate or cry without eating (chuckling).”

Brian Ainsworth (Director, Mighty Rangers):
“We had our own Enuku at Rangers, his name was Joseph Mbewe but most people knew him as Big Joe, and I must say he was huge, tall guy with a big belly. He was the club’s chief supporter with dancing skills whilst showing his fat belly.”

James Kambalame (Mighty Rangers Supporter):
“He was the pioneer super fan. I remember in the 87-88 season, we had beaten Ngwazi Strikers at home. Now apparently the fans had become incensed and threatened violence against both their team and us the visitors. As people were exploring escape routes, Royals’ fans back then were very dangerous, the late Joseph Mbewe jumped into the ground and run to the centre circle, took his shirt off and started dancing. What had been a tense situation turned into laughter and fun (chuckling).

Moses Kantunda (Mighty Rangers Supporter):
“My Ababa used to take me to Sir Nelson Ainsworth Stadium for most Amirawo games as he was a Mighty Rangers fan. And when the game was about to start, maybe 10 minutes before the game, Mbewe used to get in the ground with his large belly, facing the Rangers’ stand and then shake his belly off. This would give the whole crowd morale and the Amirawo fans would get crazy.

Mahalla Numero (Mansanduni Union Supporter):
“During Mansanduni Derby matches, Big Joe and Pera Baby would enter the pitch and entertain us. The old days were better days.There are no fans like the two anymore, just a bunch of hooligans.”

Moses Kantunda (Mighty Rangers Supporter):
“Big Joe and Pera Bay started something quite unique. They would appear on radio sports programmes together, exchanging insults, boasting about their teams, and mocking one another.

It was like a boxing promotion.

These stunts would bring a lot of people to the stadiums to watch them in action and of course the clubs.”

Voice Over:
“The fans were indeed the heartbeat and soul of Ziwani football but beneath the passion and spectacle, something sinister begun to grow within Ziwani football.

As rivalries grew, the stakes became higher and the line between supporting and violence slowly begun to disappear.

What had once made the ZFL and Ziwani football unique would soon lead it down to its knees.”

by **Pomachetti** » Thu May 14, 2026 1:15 pm

Estorvipa and Estorpiva 0 - 4 Pomachetti

Strayaroos 2 - 0 Pomachetti

Link to Roster

Pomachetti

Trigram: PCT

Captain:
Sóuminé Dabhí

Home Stadia:
Ebheonn Mophtom (Mophto)
Purt de Cuscro (Cuscro)
Núrt Fóníeger Giell (Coecria)

Players to look out for:
Níoll Éirpir
Seorgís Sarcisian
Íerd Papiola
Síemas Tesplannish

Set-Piece Takers:
Freekicks - Eldú Florensí
Penalties - Seorgís Sarcisian
Left Corners - Fíolom Mambhíní (left-footed)
Right Corners - Eldú Florensí (right-footed)

Goal scoring events for Pomachetti

Estorvipa and Estorpiva vs Pomachetti Estorvipa and Estorpiva

39th - A lobbed ball from Papiola drops deep behind the defence, which Trough Perúod gets on the end of. He sprints with all he has in the tank away from the defence and makes it to Aleksandr Susloparov. Seeing the goalkeeper come off his line up to him, he decides to be a bit cheeky. He chips it over Aleksandr and scores.

63th - In the final third of the pitch after some back-and-forth passing, Seorgís Sarcisian uses footwork to trick the defenders marking him to get past the line. He strikes it into the back oif the net.

82nd - Úle Salbhoé and Déothó L'Aiderlé come on for Rúmano and Florensí. The throw in was taken by Pergonsí as they came onto the pitch to Salbhoé. Salbhoé glanced at L'Aiderlé, who was making a brisk run past the line. Salbhoé threads a long ball in between the defensive line to L'Airderlé. With his fresh legs, the worn-out Estorians couldn't keep up. L'Aiderlé shot into the bottom-right corner when he arrived at the goal.

87th - A right corner comes in by the subbed on Úle Salbhoé. It is headed away by Pylyp Brahinskyy and lands to the feet of Sóuminé Dabhí on the inside edge of the box. He decides that he would go for it. He strikes the ball, which hits the post on the otherside of the goal. However, it went in. The captain's first goal in the qualifiers.

StrayaRoos vs Pomachetti StrayaRoos

Pomachetti failed to score any goals

Story: The Fans
Chapter 3: Hope
I will continue this in the next rp, i'm limited with time
previous chapter here
pub boys 1st chapter bc i forgot to list that

The motor exploded. Púl was about to explode. Not from a bomb, but form frustration. But this was no time to be frustrated. The cartel was after them. He and Maoros could here V8s roaring and motorbike engines screaming in the distance. Getting closer and closer by the seocnd. Púl and Maoros dashed to a different boat. This one was a dirtied white speedboat with rotting planks. As far as they knew, it was good enough to escape. It was still the most well-kept vessel in this abandoned port in Bevonní. This one just had to work. They had travelled from The Pacific to the Western Isles evading them with what will hopefully put this all to an end. What was this extraordinary object that will save the two from all this trouble? They called it hope.

News at Eight
Halfway through: Pomachetti first in qualifiers group

“You’re watching the eight o’clock news. I’m Íebhe Cielleogh and you’re watching TVT Nuecht. The top story today: Halfway through the World Cup qualifiers, and Pomachetti sit first in group two with twenty points. A four nil win away in Estorvipa and Estorpiva locked the Pomachettian soccer team into the top of the group going into the hlafway mark of the qualifiers. As it stands, the top four of the group are all within four points of each other. Our sports analysist Sienén Cellen joins us once again for a discussion on this. Now Sienén, we’ve all been watching with excitement the journey of the Pomachettian soccer team in the qualifiers and we’re all incredibly proud the lads in green. What is the cause for their success?”

“The lads, of course, being the talented players they are have always been capable of this. The real reason for their success has been the motivation and patriotism injected into them after stepping out onto the pitch to the roar of tens of thousands of fans. The most key to being the most successful team is being the most motivated team. I mean, just look at the emotion they pour into all of their matches. The captain Sóuminé Dabhí comes of crying after nearly every match. Several brawls happen every match when the opponent is disrespectful to any player of the team. But the largest evidence of this emotional value: the fans. Just take a look at the Baptism of Fire final. Every single Pomachettian fan in the Grand Manchbury raced onto the field as soon as Tesplannish saved that penalty. The fans have got to be the most passionate fanbase in the entire world.”

“Indeed. I know myself as a veteran of the celebrations in Mophto. The sea flooded with soccer fans cheering and hugging each other on the streets. The celebrations were wild. A moment to remember. And what about the players and the staff. Just... How?”

“A mixture of a nation that prides itself on sport producing the greatest talent and the incredible minds of the coaches. We’re seeing now the quite literal hard-hitting impacts the youth development in Pomachetti has done. Obviosuly we have to mention Seorgís Sarcisian. He’s the star of Pomachettian soccer and just sport as a whole. Céot Túobón-Mecoumiori also deserves high recognition. Coming in as a replacement for Merc Gurto the experienced centre back after he suffered an injury for the qualifiers. Her defensive work rate already rivals that of prime Eondríes Maselo in my opinion. And that’s a high bar. Édhemh Loindenbirgh with a man of the match performance in his first ever start for the national team. And it’s not just the young, but also the old. Maselo has been a great tutor for these young players like Céot. Séhú as well. And then the players in their prime: Papiola, Tesplannish and Mambhíní just to name a few. These guys are the real impact players. Papiola of course the engine man. Tesplannish with the match winning saves, especially a hero in penalties. Mambhíní the speed-demon on the wing. And an honourable mention for Níoll Éirpir. At twenty-four, he hasn’t even reached is true prime yet and he has a record of one goal for one match.

And as for the coaches, Aréosto Tacorbhí has become the most successful manager to manage the national team in history! A Baptism of Fire trophy, first at the halfway point in the qualifiers, an unbeaten record lasting twelve matches with most of them being against some of the highest-ranked nations in the multiverse. His tactical genius, motivational speeches and composure is incomparable to any other head coach in this World Cup cycle. Dúnel De Parseobhil has been the talk of the town with his offensive tactics tearing Pomachetti’s opponents apart. The lines are impossible for teams to defend against and creates so many scoring opportunities. Jieoc Bhrónan has been criticised by many for letting in eighteen goals. But it’s completely wrong to pin this all on him. Pomachetti’s tactical ideology is just extremely offensive. If it weren’t for him, we would have let in twice if not thrice as many goals in. He’s doing just enough to get us across the line in these tight matches.”

“Thank you so much Sienén for this talk. We’ll be watching every kick of the ball in the World Cup qualifiers on TVT Spúort.”

Top scorers:

Níoll Éirpir – 6 (6 starts)

Seorgís Sarcisian – 6 (8 starts)

Déothó L'Airderlé - 2 (2 starts)

Édhemh Loindenbirgh – 2 (4 starts)

Eldú Florensí - 2 (4 starts)

Ártan Diríbaya - 1 (2 starts)

Llebhich Marjeta - 1 (2 starts)

Trough Perúod - 1 (2 starts)

Úle Salbhoé - 1 (4 starts)

Íerd Papiola – 1 (6 starts)

Fíolom Mambhíní – 1 (6 starts)

Sóuminé Dabhí - 1 (8 starts)

Elester Sottíní – 1 (6 starts)

Injured players:

Nouchles Reautí - Laterally sprained ankle (Grade 2) - Loem Dempiosí and the medical staff have estimated Nouchles to recover in a approximately 2 to 4 weeks

Team to face New Montreal States and Haltoria

GK - Pieder Lú
LB - Sóuminé Dabhí (C)
CB - Seoc Fluonn
CB - Elester Sottíní
RB - Fíolomín Scaíllierton
LM - Fíolom Mambhíní
CM - Seafraí Séhú
RM - Úle Salbhoé
CAM - Seorgís Sarcisian
CAM - Édhemh Loindenbirgh
ST - Níoll Éirpir

vs Haltoria to be played in Núrt Fóníeger Giell

World Cup 81/82/83/84

The Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team head into the second half of qualifying on an upswing after a pair of wins against Nueva Compostela and Milchama, and now will host Frayston at the Queen Victoria Stadium in Ezriquay on Matchday 11 ahead of what could be the most important match of the tournament, a trip to Woodstock to face Sarzonia.

BP will need a win over the Stars to cut the gap to second spot in the Group 3 table, although they cannot overlook the first fixture after having only managed a draw in the away leg against Frayston; those two points may haunt the Bees if they cannot overtake their Arrosian rivals for the automatic place in the Finals as runners-up to the Valanora express train that appears to be leaving the rest of the group in its wake.

A pair of clean sheets during the last international window seemingly are proof that Tiedmann Denholm has fixed the defensive issues that have plagued the Gold & Black, aided in part by more consistent sustained possession in the middle third of the pitch.

by **Saint Eleanor** » Thu May 14, 2026 1:59 pm

OOC 1: Alari Diro will be interviewed next cutoff. I can only guarantee you a few Michael James roleplays as a result of time congestion on my end, but I will still be doing G6 and assorted roleplays as usual - and I can assure you that there will be a ton of personal finance content next cycle.

OOC 2: Much thanks to Banija for allowing the Eleanorians to host a mid-qualifying training camp in Port Viljan, on the Kitaran shores of Lake Viljan. G6 notes were taken over dinner at a local restaurant, albeit a much fancier one than anything you can get on Military Island.

IC note on Saint Eleanor's response to the Abyssal incursion of eastern Myana island, as agreed with Chromatika: The Abyssal incursion first shocked the conscience of the Eleanorian Government during WCF95 (2008). It pledged $10m as a one-off donation, at least, which later became an annual contribution. It is common knowledge that the incursion is over and the rebuild has concluded; therefore, as of this year (2019), Saint Eleanor is no longer providing aid to Chromatika. With that said, relationships between Chromia and the Presidential Palace are at an all-time high.
United Road Management, a private company whose boardroom cared deeply about the situation, sent a small contingent of roadworkers to eastern Myana island to help out. They very much liked it there and are now "part of the furniture," working on Chromatik road infrastructure in general in the post-rebuild world. The new CEO, Jack Byrne, has said that - given the domestic context of better roads, strengthened private sector competition, and district councils being more proactive in doing things like filling potholes - he is happy to send a couple of dozen more URM personnel to places where they may be needed.
Glenn French founded the Players' Relief Fund in 2008. Two rounds of fundraising were held for eastern Myana island, in 2008 (WC95) and 2013-14 (WC98). As will be made obvious below, Kevin O'Leary - the new figurehead of the PRF, now that French is getting on in years - believes that the situation is such that a third round is no longer required, but the PRF's Committee is always keeping an eye out for any new humanitarian crises elsewhere in the world. This is reflected in O'Leary's player interview with Jamie Rodgers, below.

IC note on the Eleanorian Government in 2019: I have traipsed seldom across these plains since my seventh-ever roleplay, during BoF76. Nevertheless, some words to the wise must be offered, as 1996 is now not even equidistant between the War of Independence and the mini-crunch match with Pasarga:

President Gen. George Mitcham (b. 1943) has been the head honcho since the NLF won the war against Tinhampton immediately prior to MD4 of WCQ76 (ICly, June 23rd 1975; OOCly, the exact moment I created the nation of Tinhampton), making him one of the world's longest-serving leaders/dictators. He is President for Life and can, and often will, issue his own Decrees about any matter of things. (OOCly, Mitcham will most likely die during WC104 or WC105, which would be at some point in the mid-2020s by our calendar.)
Vice-President for Healthcare Col. Harry Green (b. 1957) is responsible for delivering a high-quality, free healthcare system, and recently delivered an end to abortion on demand now that there's no longer a majority for it. (General Mitcham still personally thinks it's okay - but it does help your case against him when zaPravela, West, Coombe, Vickers, Launceston, Woodward, Nicholls, and Hollenberg all agree with you.) You should otherwise assume that it resembles the NHS, except without prescription charges or car park fees.
Vice-President for Literacy and Numeracy Gen. Paletalena Naxetarela (b. 1966), known to all and sundry as Pally, has attracted far less controversy than OG Veep Robert Pike. He is not only not casually racist, but the first black Cabinet member in history, and has urged schools to "do more with less" in light of advances in technology and the fact that other departments need money. He is ultimately responsible for the curriculum and school discipline, although has mercifully had to enforce the rule against backchatting General Mitcham much less.
Vice-President for Finance Col. David Smith (b. 1971), who took over from the late Harry Aberport, decides the annual budget, often in consultation with his fellow Cabinet members. The Government is currently funded by a massive tax on the White Star Oil Company, the state-owned oil drillers; you should assume that it raises 30% of GDP.
Vice-President for Infrastructure Col. John Vincent (b. 1937) is responsible for planning, building, and most of the utilities. He is the CEO of grid suppliers National Electricity, domestic and commercial electricity billers Eleanorian Power, water supplier Eleanorian Water, public transport monopolists Eleanorian Transport, and the White Star Oil Company - but he has nothing to do with natural gas billing, as that's the responsibility of Mertagne's Origas; nor the post, which is all handled by foreign-owned companies such as TKT Express and "Eleanorian" Post.
Vice-President for National Security Gen. Frank Snell (b. 1940) is the de-facto second-in-command of the Army, Navy and Marines, behind only General Mitcham, alongside whom he served in the War of Independence. He commands the Armed Forces at home, in their de-facto policing capacity, as well as Eleanorian relations with foreign states.
Vice-President for Defence Gen. Diana Taylor (b. 1963) is the bookies' favourite to become President after Mitcham senior dies. Taylor's job was created following the Naleinpeta Review; as opposed to National Security, the Ministry of Defence focuses on Eleanorian military operations abroad. So far, the MD's role is more limited than the MNS's, due to our limited foreign outposts and lack of foreign entanglements.
Vice-President for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights Charlotte Morgan (b. 1968) is the black sheep of the cabinet - she is the only civilian in the Government, and was for a decade the only woman. Her Ministry serves to promote the full spectrum of human rights, apparently excluding the right to take part in legislative and executive elections, and has often interceded on behalf of trade unions.
Honourary mention: SEFA President Donald Lucas (b. 1940) is still at it aged 79, and shows no sign of standing down any time soon.
Honourary mention: SESB Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers (b. 1960) will likely carry on for eight or ten more World Cups. There's no obvious successor; Jennifer Nolan, almost the undisputed #2, is about as old as he is.
The next President? While Taylor is the favourite, in theory, any Eleanorian citizen may be elected as President, so long as they agree that they will become a General in the Army upon election. Today, there are fifty Majors (leaders of their districts) and thirteen Generals (excluding George Mitcham), for a total of sixty-three electors in a nation of ~688,000, i.e. one in every 11,000 Eleanorians; it's believed that an absolute majority is required to take office, but it's not clear what the reality is yet. Mitcham was acclaimed as President, being the founder and leader of the National Liberation Front throughout and after the war.
The NLF still exists; it's the official name of the "party" that leads the country. Once the paramilitary organisation that won Eleanorian freedom, it lives on today as the biggest pub conglomerate and brewer in the country - a necessity of wartime period when food and water could be rather easily procured but alcohol imports more or less stopped. Around 350,000 Eleanorians are NLF members to this day, although the only practical benefit is 50% off all drinks in NLF pubs, plus the warm fuzzy feeling of patriotism. The President leads the NLF by convention; its paramilitary element became the Eleanorian Army on independence, and citizens tend to trust themselves with defending themselves, their property and their country.

Group of Six meeting (CXVI) --- SAINT ELEANOR 1-0 Pasarga
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Kichirō Matsuda [VC], Abdullah Ibn Salam [ballot]
Location: Sky Viljan restaurant; almost on top of the world, Port Viljan, NYK

MAJOR MATCH EVENTS: Ohan 72. This was, in many regards, a turgid and seemingly unremarkable game; "perhaps the goal's only value was intrinsic" (~ Stephen).

LESSONS LEARNED: This was "more of a struggle than we could have made it" (~ Kichiro), although "I appreciated not having to get really stuck in out there, thank you very much!" (~ Lydia). However, perhaps the biggest takeaway was that "Gisken can be as rugged as they want to be" (~ Abdullah). Pasargan through-balls to their playmaker and strikers were cut out, in part as a result of consistent and early intervention by our own midfield, in greater part because "we were consistent in getting back there and putting them off the ball" (~ Reniira). Momentum was limited on both sides: the "clear green water" (~ Stephen) we opened between their midfield and frontline was obvious, but "they were getting a bit bulky out there and I think they were ready for anything out wide" (~ Lydia). Perhaps it is "something close to a miracle" (~ Abdullah) that Nacle was able to break through and snatch the winner.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Despite winning over both of the teams that took part in our last game, Skorpiie are "much less potent than first feared" (~ Kichiro), with Epicly Amazing Giraffes at the bottom of the group their only other scalp, never mind point. Since Matchday 1, our defence has been "better than 'less than competent'" (~ Abdullah) - we would have the best defence in the group had we beaten Pasarga by three or more goals, "which was never likely, such is Igor's masterplanning" (~ Reniira) - and our attack has vindicated themselves multiple times, perhaps more in the 1-0 loss to our next opposition than the 1-0 win over our last. With that in mind, the usual 1-11 with the usual tactics will once again be deployed, in the hope and expectation that "we've ironed out all our creases" (~ Kichiro).
While this is not the time or place for Operation Plimsoll, "the fiftieth floor of a hotel would probably not be the worst idea for such a meeting, should we return" (~ Stephen). "I don't think we'll get any Skorpian intelligence analysts around these parts!" (~ Lydia) In addition, players have more or less unanimously been receptive to our Lake Viljan training camp, and I fully intend on organising more, not purely as a matter of endurance training or "grit" as Priscilla Evans envisioned for the visit to Huayramarca mid-WCQ95, but as team bonding exercises and changes of scenery more generally.

MOVING FORWARD: We are now top of the table and on track for qualification, but I would naturally agree that "we'll have to do better than we did in the first half, especially this next part of it" (~ Abdullah). We haven't had a "guest columnist" this cycle so far, so they will be doing the honours against Skorpiie - even if they contrive to do the double over us.

~GB

Kevin O'Leary: "We are unfortunately not made out of money yet"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers asks just as many questions as Premier's notorious hotshot wishes to answer
Originally published on Tuesday 9th April 2019

Kevin O'Leary would, at first glance, appear to be something close to the perfect target man: someone who can go in, go back out, go back in again, shoot, score, help other people do that, and come out with his dignity intact. "We tend to be a short-staffed nation, though, and one that likes to be tactically on top of things. So that would help, I suppose."

O'Leary went to the Boys' Preparatory, and - as you would expect - enjoyed it there. "I had enough money to get by, if that's what you're asking about my parents. But when you're talking about me, they wanted me to have the best education possible in the best surroundings possible, so with all that in mind, that was the obvious choice. I wasn't exactly the kind of person who was friends with everyone, but my stronger suits were in the sciences, which is not saying much given the delta in my final grades, and I befriended a few of the nerds. Sophia [Davies] rambling on for three or four minutes about Army anti-tank missiles made me realise I wasn't really cut out for that kind of stuff, though, so I started reading the Reporter's political analysis section and comparing it with the shiny, new, deadly serious Evening News. That's how I got to the point where my principles are lower tax, more freedom, and giving everyone in the world a fair shot at life. Then I talk to Sophia in 2017, she's working as an engineer making far more than I am, and her principles are exactly the same with none of the steps in between!"

The Boys' Prep made it to their second consecutive Charles Trump Shield final in 2009 - sandwiching the notorious Charity Cup, "an interim solution I would have wanted no part of." On the way, however, O'Leary scored eleven of the team's twenty-two goals, including a semi-final hat-trick and a number of two-goal salvos, "although it probably helps when you're leading the line in a good old-fashioned 4-5-1 rather than this dull, dreary 4-2-3-1 nonsense. It was all very much a barrel of fun and, if I wanted to talk about it here, you'd probably need to give me a six-part television series instead of a humble interview." To cut a long story even shorter, when I put it to him that both 2009 and 2011 were years marked by the Boys' Prep winning 3-2 on aggregate after an odd-goal-in-five win at Trident CS, followed by a loss in the final, he jabs at Abdullah Ibn Salam: "at least none of the players had their identities stolen!"

That summer laid the foundation stone for his flexible playing style in the adult Leagues. "I would disagree, as like most people who aren't Bridget Coombe, I was actually playing football on a less professional scale for a while at the Boys' Prep. My instincts are to sit behind the proper striker if there is one - that's Izzy Bright here, Wendy Smith at Premier - sniff around them, not undercutting them, just making my own luck. I would say I am just about middle-class, a bit rough-and-tumble on the side, so being able to hustle and make my own way is more or less my only modus operandus here. Pragmatism, being able to do what you can with what you have - all very important things and values I take to heart. On a similar note, I do think there should be a book written about Adam Denby, Arielle [Richardson] and Princess Sylvia [Hollenberg] and their times in Mytanija; I'd take a lot of inspiration from it and so would most of you."

O'Leary's single most controversial friend is Lydia Falconer, nowhere near the national team herself but one of Atlas CS and the Polytechnic Institute's legends up front. "Everyone says we were dating a few years ago. But really, were we? I don't think so and she doesn't think so, and we were just having a few adventures together. I do have a wife these days - not Sophia, unfortunately, but a mix between her and Lydia Falconer. She's called Jenny, by the way." What about the members of the team? "I do try and get out and about when I can. Positionally, I've met all the strikers and I like them; I tend to think they're doing a better job than I am, although I've been told I'm pretty effective all around the box. Politically, I would say I was more of a generic, right-of-centre, pro-opportunity kind of person; Rick Goldsmith is okay, Kichiro Matsuda is pretty good, Izzy, Liz [Wootton], both Lydias - most of the team, actually - I can get along with. Personality-wise, I'm good with everyone who wants to go out with me and talk about the world - Kirsti Sundgren is definitely someone I can have a good debate with, Abdullah seems nice enough; really, I'm more interested in the chattier or practical side of things than political theory or whatnot."

Perhaps O'Leary's other claim to fame today is as the de-facto leader of the Players' Relief Fund, founded by Occidental Olympic midfielder Glenn French in 2008 in response to the Abyssal Invasion of Myana. While raising a combined $850k over two fundraising rounds, during the 95th and 98th World Cup cycles, O'Leary has categorically ruled out further fundraising. "So far as I'm aware, there's still a travel ban. I hope I'm wrong, though, because the Government's stopped providing aid, the rebuild is finished, and I'm not sure there's much we can do." Since he took over the Fund's leadership from French at the end of 2017, the PRF has not been activated, but that does not mean it's game over for the operation. "The Fund is technically a leaderless operation, so I rely on the goodwill of the players of the Saint Eleanor League to see who else urgently needs help around the world. The Wondering Refugees are getting a lot of support from other people, so I'm not sure we can make much of a difference there, but if there's any major catastrophe like Myana or New Kitara [Nyowani Kitara] and so on, we'll go get them." When asked about his other hopes for the Fund's future, he suggested that "we are unfortunately not made out of money yet - 850 grand is a lot in the Eleanorian game, maybe a week's wages for some people - so we might consider going internationally, trying to raise funds from Eleanorians abroad or even people who have nothing to do with us, but let's see what the future holds."

Kevin O'Leary acts as he thinks: aware of his goals as an individual, a leader of the front line (however well-disguised), a member of the team - and an Eleanorian. There is little to doubt about him, and much to admire in a man who is very close to hitting his stride. Whether he works alongside, or instead of, the newly-established striker Isabella Bright, we have already seen that he can make an impact, and he will stay that way for some time yet.

Group of Six meeting (CXVII) --- SAINT ELEANOR 2-0 Skorpiie
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Kichirō Matsuda [VC], Maria Morgan [ballot]
Location: Wilson's Specialty coffee shop; Trident district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

I tend not to blow my own trumpet, and nor did our players today. Isabella did a good job, as per usual, but she was not the star of the show, as GIsken scored the first goal (it helps when you're a bit crazy), Kichiro scored the second (it helps when you're one of the tallest people on the team), and the backline only allowed two shots on target (it helps when you've pulled yourself up by your bootstraps).

Nation States Logic is, more or less, a non-issue. We dispatched them when they came over to our place and they sit joint-bottom of their group. At the same time, the gap between top and bottom is seventeen points, which is neither the clown car that is Group 8 nor the easy ride that is Group 10. I suggested that fielding the usual starting lineup once more would be a good idea nevertheless, for various reasons: we should open up clear blue water between us and PAS/ZWZ etc, this lineup needs to prove its worth against teams of all calibres, and we can bring on the substitutes if we'd like to remind them that they deserve the opportunity to get out there.

Gentle Breeze agrees, but she is tempted to finally go nuclear if we slip up yet again. Lydia keeps on having concerns about squad rotation, however. She has seriously argued that we do need to have a bit of a shake-up in the second half of qualifying, or else we might well be spending all this time for nothing. I disagree, as our players are flexible, competent, and a far cry from two decades ago. I think this conversation was worth it, as we did have a serious discussion about the merits of playing Abdullah, Michelle, and the other Lydia. Long may consultative decision-making continue.

MARIA!

by **Paradystopia** » Thu May 14, 2026 2:01 pm

CUT-OFF MD11 & MD12 - GROUPS 1-8

by **Taeshan** » Thu May 14, 2026 3:40 pm

"The beatings will continue until morale improves. Jesus what a kick in the nads."

"yeah two straight losses at home. Horrifying. Basically went from top of the table to fighting for our lives in a few matchups."

"Horrifying display."

"I had so much hope for us and then it was all gone."

"At least now we can talk about World Cup 93."

"Yes I hear this was a fun one."

"Yes. Banija wins over Chromatika. What a time to be alive. Kudos to our good friends in Banija. Winning a world cup. We've never even seen a semi-final, and shockingly to no one I expect not to see another finals for at least 6-8 business years."

"Kelssek and Huayramarca won their groups I see but Banija with a solid 7 including a last match win over Ko-oren to advance."

"It seemed like a very top heavy group stage. A gauntlet for Banija, Nephara in extra time and then Brenecia in the quarterfinals. Kelssek put up 6 in their round of sixteen matchup but then met finalist Chromatika in the next round and as often happens someone scored a lot in the Round of Sixteen and then gets knocked out in the next round even with the momentum in their favor."

"Banija and Chromatika advance in penalties. What a good set of semi-final matchups,."

"Yeah it was crazy. Goals everywhere and then in the final chaos. 7 goals, Banija with the 4 spot to win and go down in history,"

"What a wild ride."

"Yeah. What a crazy run they went on to. It will be really interesting to see how they can back that up in the next one."

by **Warkus** » Thu May 14, 2026 4:35 pm

Before heading into the dressing room, Jack Blethyn thought back to his meeting with the board following the team’s away loss to Bonusia. He went into that meeting knowing that he could’ve ended up walking out without a job. It was obvious why they called him in for a meeting: Eight games without a win, two massive defeats against pot six sides and the worst goal difference in their group. The Bonusia loss wasn’t as devastating as the opening four-nil loss to Libesia or the more recent three-nil loss to Aamathyr, but he knew his team was spiralling hard. The next two games against Nusandara and Libesia at home present the final opportunity to stop their spiral and salvage something from this horrendous qualifying campaign.

Sacking him wouldn’t have been unreasonable. If he were on the board and some other manager, even one that he likes and respects, was in the same position he now finds himself in… Would Jack really keep that manager in charge? Warkusian national teams, across all sports, have been incredibly reluctant to sack their managers. So reluctant, in fact, that they’ve never done it before. Some nations are notorious for their ruthless impatience and doing things as crazy as sacking managers after one or two poor games, while others are known for sticking with their manager until they retire or drop dead. “Do national teams generally do better when sacking early and often or by keeping them around forever?” is an interesting question for Jeremy Jaffacake, but the board members are presumably more interested in the specific situation they’re in right now. Jack would sack Jack, if he wasn’t Jack, which is one of the sentences of all time. Since he is Jack, he has no intention of resigning because he still backs himself to stop the rot.

How did we end up here? Before he was Warkus’s manager, Jack was the home-grown pimple-faced assistant manager of then middling semi-professional Warkusian team CPD Dinas Sand. And then he got a job that no one thought he’d get – he became the manager of perennial second-place finishers Yr Hen Glwb. Most people thought it was a ridiculous idea, appointing an unproven youngster to manage a team that was clearly stronger than CPD Dinas Sand, but it went well. It went so well, in fact, that he knocked their ancient rivals KPB Nyareth Newydd off their perch and won the league. Twice. By that point the big process of rebuilding the national team and returning to international football was well underway, so he was the obvious frontrunner to become the team’s manager. Only two candidates were seriously considered for the job: him and Laurie York – the manager of KPB Nyareth Newydd who was older, more experienced and at the stage of his career where a move into international management would make sense. Laurie had been managing KPB Nyareth Newydd for a little over a decade by that point and only missed out on winning the league in the two years where Jack won. Jack got the job, but Laurie’s still around and got back to winning things the moment Jack left his club. He’d be an obvious candidate for the job if Jack did get sacked. Jack figures there'd probably be some overseas candidates too because despite the poor run of form he knows he's got an exciting squad with a long term project that'd excite any manager who wasn't yet able to manage a World Cup Finals-level team and that's what makes the possibility of losing his job that much more upsetting to him.

The board mostly consists of Jack sympathisers, with only a few token detractors who’ve always been sceptical of his three cycle plan, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that they weren’t sacking him just yet. Things looked bad, yes, but they had their reasons for keeping him in charge. The players were still very fond of him, so sacking him would hurt the team’s already fragile morale. Group fourteen was also just obviously, at this stage, a highly competitive group filled with strong teams. Warkus’s results look bad on paper and they’re absolutely underperforming relative to their place in the rankings, but every team’s picked up a win and some of the newcomers like Aamathyr and Nusandara are proving to be far better than anyone expected. And it wasn’t as if Jack’s three cycle plan had failed just yet – there was still time to turn things around. That said, the situation was clearly a dire one. This was ‘tumble down the rankings in your third cycle’ form, which is about as clear of an indicator that the manager’s taken them as far as they can and needs to be replaced immediately that one can get.

The board did, however, give him an ultimatum: take any less than four points from these two games and you’ll be gone by the end of the qualifiers. Automatic qualification isn’t on the cards for this team and the playoffs don’t look likely either, so damage control is the objective now. The board has given him a conditional vote of confidence that’ll allow him to stay in charge so long as the team stops embarrassing themselves so much. A win and a draw would save his job for now, but Jack knew the bare minimum would only satisfy the board for so long. The only way he was going to be able to turn things around would be by winning both games. But running through those events in his head again wasn’t going to help him, so Jack steeled himself before entering the dressing room.

The anxiety left his face, although that wasn’t going to be enough to ease the tense atmosphere in the dressing room. He put on a more ferocious, angrier expression and addressed the team.

“Right, let’s not beat around the bush here. We’ve been dreadful and even when we haven’t been we’ve still struggled to pick up a result. Everyone thinks we suck. Everyone thinks you suck.” he stated, matter-of-factly.

“Everyone except our friends and our loved ones who helped us get here in the first place. They still believe in you. You guys still believe in each other. So, you’ve gotta believe in yourselves too. Believe that you can beat these guys, even if they go a goal up, even if you make a mistake, whatever it is. Even if they’re three goals up, we can beat them. We’ve beaten teams better than this lot and we’ve beaten teams worse than them and teams in between. But make no mistake: Nusandara smell blood. Libesia smell blood. Every player on every other team smells blood and thinks they can kill you off. We’ve already been bitten and we’re gonna keep getting bitten, no matter how good we play, so if you’re gonna bleed make sure they bleed too. Tonight we make sure they choke when they try to bite off more than they can chew. Don’t head back home with regrets.” he declared. The siege mentality wasn’t normally his style, but this time it had an effect on the players and on himself too. They’d been backed into a corner, so now it was time to show the opposition that a cornered tiger still has teeth.

And they did just that. Warkus picked up narrow wins over both Nusandara and Libesia. They weren’t the prettiest wins and they weren’t wins where Warkus did what you’d have expected them to do before the start of the competition – They didn’t dominate at home or beat out inexperienced teams with quality alone. But they won two games in a row and that was enough, at least for now. Warkus still aren’t in good form and they certainly aren’t living up to expectations, but they aren’t dead yet.

by **City of Myrtle Beach** » Thu May 14, 2026 4:37 pm

GROUP 10 | MATCHDAY 9
Myrtle Beach 5 - 0 Gyaromia

Goalscorers:
Myrtle Beach: 15' Chukchov, 32' Petersen, 45+2' Chukchov, 64' Chukchov, 83' Chapman

GROUP 10 | MATCHDAY 10
Myrtle Beach 3 - 2 Kanzlia

Goalscorers:
Myrtle Beach: 21' Petersen, 64' Vodoleyev, 80' Petersen
Kanzlia: 32' van Coevorden, 72' van Coevorden

Upcoming Losses
Matchday 11 - at Shin-Zetsubo
Matchday 12 - vs Jeckland
Matchday 13 - at Bongo Johnson
Matchday 14 - vs Masraya
Matchday 15 - at The Holy Empire
Matchday 16 - vs Tikariot
Matchday 17 - vs United States of Devonta
Matchday 18 - at Gyaromia

The Seagulls kicked off their doubleheader at home with a 5-0 beatdown of Gyaromia, featuring a second hattrick by Luka Chukchov in this qualifying campaign. After Chukchov's third goal, actually, he ran up into the stands and started partying with the fans, a strange decision that earned him a red card and a one-match suspension. In a post-game interview, Chukchov simply said, "Worth it." Poor judgement aside, with the Myrtle Beachians down to ten players, Petersen was taken off the pitch and, strangely, Scott Chapman was sent on in the 67th minute to finish off the game in the front. Quickly he drove the game with support from the midfield, putting immense pressure on the Gyaromian defense which eventually culminated in a goal by Chapman in the 83rd minute, his first international goal. This was a massively important win for the Seagulls; now, they are back in the top five spots for a shot at qualification into the World Cup. A win versus Kanzlia- the second place team in the group- would be absolutely necessary if they wished to keep their World Cup hopes alive. After all, there was no way they could get through three rounds of playoffs if they were to place fifth in their group.

And win they did! It was close, but the Seagulls left the Kanzlians playing catch-up for the majority of the game, controlling possession and stopping a plethora of attacks in the midfield. The pressure was on the Kanzlian defense the entire game, but they were able to block many attempts on goal by the Myrtle Beachians. By the 78th minute, the game was 2-2. Myrtle Beach desperately needed a win here; it would give them three points to keep pace with the Holy Empire, and it would deprive Kanzlia of any points to move themselves farther from the pack below them. It was looking hopeful for the Myrtle Beachians at that point. The ball went to Petersen, and he kicked... and it bounced off the face of Kanzlian goalkeeper Camaro Mulders, and he scored! An utterly embarrassing experience for Mulders, but most people were focused on Petersen's impressive goal and even more impressive celebration, where he jumped on the back of Hunter Fisher and rode him around the pitch for far, far longer than socially acceptable. The Kanzlians were completely dejected after this experience, and so the whistle blew with Myrtle Beach up 3-2 and another win was penned in the books. Now, they just had to keep it going; the next few matches weren't going to be difficult, but getting overly confident and cocky would be the death of their qualifying hopes. So, back to work it was, and the wait began for the next game...

by **Edsmontik** » Thu May 14, 2026 5:09 pm

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A WIN AWAY AS EAGLES WRECK CALGASIA 4-3

Monday, 8/29/2033, 4:52pm
Written by Vyktor Kalsefja

The Eagles successfully held a lead against Calgasia in an away match in Goldstadt. Easily Edsmontik's current highest scoring match of the qualifiers thus far, Edsmontik expects more higher scoring matches to follow. der-Ghavyr states that "at this time, the qualifiers will get more intense as teams fight harder than they have before to make it into the World Cup." Already, we see an intense battle for the direct qualification spot between the top pots of the group: Edsmontik, the Busoga Islands, and Qusmo. Next matchday, the Eagles will be facing off against the Busoga Islands. Since this time, it's an away match, they will have to be much more careful to survive.

The game against Calgasia started off with a powerful kickoff from the other Eagles. The Edsmon Eagles were luckily able to intercept quickly however, and began their attack. The strong 4-2-4 positioning that the Eagles chose to convert to early on allowed them to maximize their attacking power. Within minutes, the Calgasians were being pressured back to the box as the Edsmons advanced.

Wejikaj and Ghreksbvy made bold moves on the wings, skipping ahead to receive the ball from the center. This wing play worked, as the Calgasians weren't able to keep up with the speed of the wide midfielders. It was also a good method of distraction, as if the Calgasians were too worried about the wings, the center could pierce through easily.

That's almost exactly what happened in the 19th minute. Wejikaj opened up a hole in the center after charging down the wing to draw attention, before passing the ball backwards to Kizani who fired it off to Rehcikt. Rehcikt would charge forward into the less guarded center, going through into the box as the Black Eagles struggled to reform. After a powerful shot past Srubek, it was 1-0.

Edsmontik would go on to score once more in the first half. This happened in the 37th minute following a Calgasian corner. Just when everyone thought that Calgasia would level the score, der-Zyfragken caught the ball from Runner's shot, and threw it with as much for as he could. Just as a Calgasian was about to pick it up, Ghreksbvy swooped in for a steal, quickly passing the ball to Reiovus who ran up the mostly empty Calgasian half before firing a shot from outside the box, which curled into the top left corner of the net.

Without wasting time, the second half saw a lot of chaos. Both Eagles wanted to win the match, so the Edsmons had to maintain their lead and the Calgasians had to catch up. Luckily for them, the Calgasians scored in the 50th minute after Novák found a small opening just large enough for him to slip through and shoot. der-Zyfragken, unable to catch the ball in time, conceded the goal.

The Edsmons would pull ahead soon though, as in the 59th minute, Norseden landed a powerful header from a corner kick to add to the gap between the Edsmon and Calgasian Eagles. With a 3-1 scorline, the game was beginning to look good and be more entertaining for fans. Those fans were going wild in their seats. Edsmons were waving their flags, chanting, and even singing the Edsmon national anthem. Even though they were a minority, they were very loud.

Edsmontik would slam yet another one in the Clagasian net in the 63rd minute, just barely after their third goal. However, just before doing this, Dav der-Ghavyr substituted in Bervaign and Svaardaen. Svaardaen, fresh from the bench, outran the Calgasian defense, dribbled through defenders, and swung his leg hard to send the ball curling at top speed into the right corner. Edsmontik was up 4-1.

Things would get a little worse for them though, as the Calgasians made a comeback shortly after. In the 74th minute, Runner found the net after charging into an almost offside position to receive the ball from a teammate. der-Zyfragken wasn't after to get a full hand on the ball, and his fingertips weren't enough to stop it in its tracks.

While many thought this was it for the Calgasians for the rest of the game, in the 87th minute, they struck again, breaking through Edsmon lines to dirty up der-Zyfragken's sheets even more. The Calgasians were now extremely close. All they potentially needed was an opening in stoppage time. So, the Eagles didn't let it happen. Shortly after the goal, der-Ghavyr brought on der-Stoiuben for der-Zyfragken, and brought on Javarqa for Shouzvenkreden. With all looking well, the Edsmons ended the game with no more mistakes.

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vdesicPRO264
Shows what happens when you get lazy during a lead. The Eagles gotta watch out, or they might lose more and more to lower-ranked teams.
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1am46Subpera
Can't wait for the Busoga match on Friday. It's hard to believe this is already the half point of the qualifiers. Hopefully they can take down the Busogans again.
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BUSOGA GOALS GALORE: AN INTERVIEW

Friday, 9/2/2033, 7:14pm
Written by Jon Meskretovr

After an insane goalscoring match between the Busoga Islands and Edsmontik, where the Edsmon Eagles unforutnately fell short a goal in the 7-6 defeat, we at ISN asked all Edsmon players the same question: "How did you feel about the Busoga Match? What did you do well or not?" While there are many differences in each player's overview, they all had many connections, and overall clearly want a good future for the Eagles.

Stuero: "...Yeah, it was a loss, but we still played really well. We were able to coordinate attacks frequently and build chemistry there. A lot of the goals you saw were really just teamwork. We gave up shots for our own glory and instead handed them over for better chances."

Ghreksbvy: "It was a good challenge for us, despite the fact that the [Busogans] took over at the last second. We held up really well in the attack, and while the defense was all over the place, I can say it made sense as they probably haven't been that active in a while, hah."

der-Stoiuben: "While there was a lot to be disappointed about, I would say we did well indeed. The defense and I, despite our numerous mistakes in the rear, gave it our all while we could. It's a good teambuilding experience for the team and hopefully we can build on that. It's hard, but it can work out if we push ourselves."

Ystermakt: "What's best in my opinion? Well, the fact that we managed to start off so strong, that's what. The endgame doesn't matter for now, because we need to replicate the beginning. Strong, lots of goals, setting the tempo of the match. It reminds me of soloing on alto sax at home with my friends, honestly."

Javarqa: "A lot of people criticize us Edsmons early because we are a big perfectionist society. Not many look out to see what we will have done. I think that's a big flaw, and it comes to show that people aren't seeing the amazing work we do behind that loss. We had some of our best moments on the field today."

Norseden: "Not much I have to say other than a thank you to the team for just holding on throughout the qualifiers, I feel blessed to be here, and really, what matters more than our winstreak is the experience we get from playing, what lets us become even better players."

Wejikaj: "I mean, people have probably said this already but we still did good today. This loss doesn't fully define us as Edsmons. I may be using an attitude more fit for a loss in the World Cup proper, but this applies to any time, qualifiers or not."

As you can see, the Eagles are promoting the idea of working hard and staying upbeat even when the situation is not all perfect. Dav der-Ghavyr also tuned in later, saying specifically to viewers, readers, and listeners: "Nobody here is perfect, and you can't ever aim to be perfect, but you can always aim to be good and strive to perform as well as you can every day."

As the Eagles prepare to continue the second half of qualifiers, we wonder how they will perform as they fight to keep their spot at the top of the 11th group in the World Cup 101 Qualifiers. Stay tuned on Inter Sports Network and gain access to exclusive news and video of the NSWC101 Qualifiers.

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IflyKalse273
Makes me happy to see that the Eagles are promoting this. We all need to be less concerned about being perfect in the eyes of everyone. As a wise person once said, you'll always have haters. Good luck to the Eagles in the rest of qualifiers, and I can't wait to see them in Paradystopia and Farfadillis!
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KaeraSborgenser
It's so great to see the Edsmons are still proud of themselves! They've come so far and completely deserve to be proud, win or loss.
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Edsmon Lineup, MD11
Lankiv - Kizani, Javarqa, Norseden, Jervanois - Aespana, Ystermakt, Ghreksbvy - Fotserr, Stuero [C] - Utravak

Edsmon Lineup, MD12
Lankiv - Dalsen, Javarqa, Travdt, Jervanois - Fruedenne, Verto, Ghreksbvy - Svaardaen, Stuero [C] - Utravak

by **Eriadni** » Thu May 14, 2026 5:34 pm

Match Days 7-10 Roundup and MD 11 & 12 Preview!

7 Eriadni 3-1 Anewkansas
8 Sernet 1-1 Eriadni
9 Choppyhausen 2-2 Eriadni
10 Eriadni 1-2 Flavovespia

Five points from twelve awaited the Eriadnian team from their last four matches, as the Eagles campaign for World Cup qualification officially passes the half-way mark! With a convincing win at home over Anewkansas, two away draws to Sernet and Choppyhausen, and a final home loss to top seed Flavovespia, the Eriadnians are doggedly holding their own, and are continuing to challenge for a playoff place.

Against Anewkansas, the Eriadnians were slick, smooth and in control. Passes connected, crosses were superbly placed and every tackle was impeccably timed. The home crowd roared their appreciation as the Eagles took the fight right to their opponents. A brace for striker Gong An and a headed goal from centre-back Ding Lanfen gave the Eagles the three points.

A draw to Sernet, featuring a 39th minute goal from Bai Yanyu, was probably the best the Eagles could hope for. Being a more established squad, walking away from Gomwood Arena with a point was better than nothing. With Sernet taking an early lead with a goal from Esingfort, the team’s counterattack before half-time was welcomed by fans, despite a solid if unexceptional second half on defence.

Off to Choppyhausen, and another away draw for the Eagles, this time with two goals apiece. Zeng Da started Eriadni’s tally, tapping in an excellent low cross from Zhu Xiaofan. Zhu has been an increasingly confident attacking wing-back and has been well-appreciated by his international teammates for his accuracy and style of cross. Choppyhausen equalising just before the break, many were confident in the Eagles’ ability to regain the lead, however the Choppyhausen offence was dialled up to eleven, resulting in a 2-1 lead by the 50th minute. It wasn’t Zou Wencheng’s game, and he knew it. The Eagles did manage to claw back a draw with a beautiful Bai Yanyu strike into the top right corner in the 70th minute, and from there both teams just couldn’t break through for a win.

A loss against Flavovespia was anticipated, but the Eagles had some cause for celebration when they put a goal in, being one of only 8 scored against the top seeded team. It was an excellent match, despite the result, and fans left Tiancheng central in good cheer. The quality, sportsmanship and respect shown by the Flavovespian side has been well appreciated in Eriadni, and their qualification for the World Cup proper is widely expected.

MD 11: US of Alpha away & MD 12: Kharakia at home...

Eriadni now returns to play some previous opponents. Wins against both the United States of Alpha and Kharakia are going to be crucial in securing a playoff place. While avoiding defeat is a good thing, draws are not going to cut it in the final run to the playoffs.

The Eagles look set to resume their fast, attacking style of play, but it’s notable how well the squad have adapted, especially against stronger teams, to playing on the counterattack. There’s just that bit of extra physicality and confidence on display, with the players looking for counterattacking opportunities that little bit more.

The Eagles will certainly be looking to reprise their performance over the United States of Alpha, this time with the full support of a home crowd and will be looking to change the script against Kharakia. Last matchup’s 6-5 loss will no doubt be on the team’s mind, and they’ll be playing for revenge. With the added challenge of playing away, the Eriadni Eagles will have to be at their best to continue their playoffs challenge.

by **Kamijiro** » Thu May 14, 2026 5:47 pm

WC101: The Document Arrives

The final ship sent out from Port Imperia had exactly one passenger. Captain Gaëtan LaCroix, a veteran fisherman of thirty years. He'd given himself the role of messenger to the Miraisaki government. His job - deliver the Jirinho Articles of Independence. The death warrant. The very papers that, should this go wrong, would result in a full-scale wiping out of the heads of Jirinho's oldest families. His name, of course, was initially not on this document. They'd agreed the messenger wouldn't have to put their names on that - it would be a march to their own death if they brought themselves before the very government they were declaring independence from and handed a document to said government with their own name on it. But if LaCroix had one belief, it was that the Jirini deserved the right to figure out their own fates. The same right that they'd been denied since they were declared a Special Economic Zone. LaCroix docked at Kaminho, then took a ferry to Miraisaki. During that time, he signed his own name on the last page.

He arrived in Miraisaki a day and a half after departing from Port Imperia. A trip that, if you were to go by plane (you can't, Jirinho doesn't have an airport), would take an hour, maximum. But Miraisaki shot down Jirinho's request for a small regional airport six years ago and the topic was never re-visited. He met with a friend of a friend. A Chamonix-based sympathizer who had connections within Parliament and could help him get these documents before eyes that actually mattered. Just an hour before Kamijiro was due to kick off against Kordavia, a national state of emergency was called. Parliament had been notified that Jirinho simply had no intention of paying taxes until they were given representation within Parliament itself. Furthermore, Jirinho would no longer allow free trade from Kamijiro within its borders, nor free exportation of goods. Here's the kicker - Jirinho is almost exclusively where Kamijiro as a whole gets their sugarcane and most of their shellfish. The estimated economic impacts of that would be astronomical, considering Kamijiro's remote location implies that importation from elsewhere would be highly expensive.

This was met with both anger and panic from Parliament. Allowing Jirinho to go without a fight would indicate to other Departments that the days of Parliamental involvement in regional affairs is over - St. Jerome would immediately start licking its chops over a reunion with South St. Jerome. Fighting Jirinho would be terrible for their PR - it's a small island that barely registers as a population center and is even occasionally omitted from maps of the Lightning Isles. But when you consider what's at stake - loss of sugarcane, a cash crop and staple of the sugar-rich Kamijiroan diet - fighting might be the only way to resolve this issue.

Kamijiro maintains both an Army and a Navy. Both combined, they total around 18,500. They're well-funded, they're well-trained for most needs. However, going into battle with their own countrymen is... not a great feeling for anybody. Jirinho is banking on low morale. They've pressed civilians into service. The stockade at Port Imperia, which historically has held enough guns to fight off pirates, has been re-opened again. They expect to have a standing army of around 4,000. Should this go wrong, it will end with the near-destruction of their entire adult male population. But as mentioned before, they do also have the terrain advantage. Parliament will also be very hesitant to use air munitions on Jirinho, as destruction of the land itself would completely defeat the purpose of bringing Jirinho to heel - farmland for sugar. So Jirinho sits in wait. They know the storm's coming, just as they always do. The stormclouds over Jirinho are always dark gray before the lightning strikes. Today, they feel black.

---

Included in those numbers are Louissaint Toulouse and Jiro Mazzocchi. Both are from the outskirts of the island - swampy marshes where the houses live on stilts and guns were common since the crocodiles were even more common. Both of them were sent home from camp following Alexandre St. Francis' decision that the independence movement that had been talked about so heavily was a detriment to team morale. Neither of them made an appearance during their time with the team.

Both men are young. Jiro's just eighteen. Louissaint is twenty-one. And both understand that if this comes down to it, they're going to die for their island. They've moved into the Toulouse family home. Athénaïs Toulouse, Louissaint's mother, took his younger siblings with her on one of the last ferries out of Jirinho prior to Port Imperia's closure. Jiro was going to go back to his place, but he found that his father had moved into the city and his mother had left for Kaminho as well. So he went with Louissaint to the Toulouse house.

Two days before the first shot was fired, rain poured over the island from the dark gray clouds above. The rain patters against the window as Louissaint and Jiro share a six-pack in the living room...

"Lou."
"Mm."
"You think this is a mistake?"
"Prob'ly. Numbers-wise, we're done for."
"Numbers-wise? Shit, the crocs'll take care of half 'em."
"Nah. We ain't ever been that lucky."
"Tch. You always been a downer."
"That's what made me manager for that IAC thing they had us do."
"Bein' a downer?"
"Bein' realistic."
"You heard from any of the others? Since this all started, I mean."
"Ye. Vivienne's out. Xavi, Marquis, Richard, Lierre, Maurice and Benny are all down in New Imperia with the older families gettin' ready for the city defense. I ain't heard from Violette or Cyprien."
"Lierre ain't leave with the rest of the women?"
"Naw. She's a fighter. You know that. Even if she is gon' regret it."
"Shit. Violette prob'ly left, too."
"For sure. Cyp's prob'ly off barricading his family's place. Like I am."
"Right. Prob'ly."

The two men sat in silence for a while, only interrupted by the occasional muffled clink of a bottle hitting the wooden table. Outside, the rain's intensified and they can hear the wind whistling through the cypress trees surrounding the stilted house.

"Jiro."
"Mm."
"If this island survives this. If we win. We're gonna actually have to fund the damn football team ourselves. You know that, right?"
"That's what's on your mind?"
"Yeah. It is."
"Fuckin' moron."

All Louissaint could do was laugh.

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Thu May 14, 2026 6:47 pm

Seyshel Beach Avengement Day Memorial Stadium, Beachview, Super Earth

How had it come to this? Meogegiv stands on the sidelines, his face a picture of resignation as the Lodgers were being decimated on the pitch by these ‘Helldivers’. The sky was cloudy, the air was humid and still quite smoky from all the flares lit by the home fans with every goal. All 5 of them, that meant that Super Earth were well on their way to claiming all three points. The match hadn’t started well, Diana Kirkup landing awkwardly onto her shoulder after being tipped over by Ripper in a 50/50 aerial, and just wasn’t able to continue through the pain. She was taken off, on came Yulia Peebles, and the defence that lost Amin Horak from goal earlier in the week was now down another regular starter. And Super Earth capitalised on that change immediately, Rev popping up on the edge of the box curl an effort just beyond Yuvin O’Sullivan’s reach. And the hosts even doubled up before the half hour mark as Ripper muscled his way through the defence with the ball - it wasn’t smooth or silky, just brute forced bouncing the defenders to the ground without being called back for a foul. A powerful shot into the top corner made it 2-0. Hackett was a rare bright spark for the visitors throughout, and it finally paid off to cut the arrears back to one goal, the Felswyr winger making her way into the box and planting a low cross across the face of goal, sliced into the goal by Senators defender Winters.

That didn’t stop the hosts though, and they quickly fired back with a third goal, Shroud completely losing his marker at a set piece and popping up unmarked to head home the free kick, and then shortly before half-time, it was 4-1. Ripper flattened Rubeus Fevison on the wing before firing across the face of goal, and that ended up being another forced substitution, the full back limping off with what looked like an ankle sprain. The changing room was bleak. Nobody was talking, a feeling of shellshock settling into the atmosphere as the players realised they were just outmatched in every department. They weren’t playing for him, they weren’t playing for each other, they weren’t even playing for the shirt - Meogegiv just stared at the players, bereft of ideas as to how to change things. Sure, Plummer coming on ended up being a good move in the second half, her more attacking mindset enough to keep that flank of players distracted, with her first real contribution a cross to Daisi Hackett who arrived late at the far post to smash the ball home. But that was the only clear cut chance. Lots of half chances, passing and crossing opportunities that were either poorly executed, and after some struggles, just not attempted. It was abject, it was miserable, the fans were shocked into silence themselves, and it was little surprise that the Senators added a fifth after the hour mark.

The strange thing was, yes the team had a poor start to qualifying, but after that they looked like they were on the ascendancy, and getting back to winning ways and the sort of form that saw them qualify for two World Cups in a row. They beat one of the group favourites at home, dominating Kwrpania. They managed to draw against Recuecn which was always a tall task even if it was at home, taking the lead twice before being pegged back in the latter part of the match. Wondering Refugees was a difficult trip though, the desolate camp in a faraway war-torn land was a very different experience to what the players were used to. And the opponents were very much driven by a more primal sort of fire and purpose, putting three goals past Horak either side of half time after Enoch Ingersleben had opened the scoring - thankfully, Meogegiv’s subs were actually useful for once, first with Izzy setting up Hangeland for the equaliser before Noble was tripped in the box in the dying embers, the penalty kick enough to provide all three points. Hamborn were more traditional minnow opponents though, never really posing a threat throughout the match that was bookended by goals from Enoch, one of the few bright sparks that has actually come from this qualifying campaign so far.

The match in Boring Paradise however was a disaster - probably the one match the ICELFA would not look past when they came to review the wreckage. Boring Paradise may have been a former colony of the Imperial Commonwealth, but their independence from the motherland has always been a point of discord between the two nations in footballing terms. It was one tie the FA would have wanted to win above all else. On the pitch, Walkden may well have staked her claim to the right winger spot for the long-term, and she definitely upper her case when she slotted home Enoch’s pull back, but Horak just threw it all away, misjudging a flighty clearance as he ran out of the box but he couldn’t beat Tamim Grimes to the ball, taking out the Para Wanderers striker just outside the box whilst missing the ball entirely. A red card for his troubles, the Paradisians scored from the resulting free kick, and the man advantage they had was enough to give Grimes the space he needed to pop up unmarked in the box to head home a winner.

Meogegiv wasn’t really paying attention to events in front of him, and his train of memories was only broken by a faint cheer of the travelling fans to his right, as Szilard Forde managed to knick the wall with a free kick, the deflection enough to wrong foot Gruff in the Senators net. He didn’t react, the fact the team did score and bring the arrears down to 5-3 only a footnote for this terrible week and this abysmal qualifying campaign so far. In his deepest thoughts, he knew he wasn’t good enough to take the team forward to qualification, and even reaching the playoffs would be a matter of pure luck at this point. But he wasn’t going to resign. Why would he? The job is, as always, a poisoned chalice. Why dump it on an unsuspecting manager in the middle of qualifying, instead of letting someone start fresh in a new tournament. And even then, why would anyone want to manage Eastfield Lodge?

World Cup 101 Qualifying MD7: Wondering Refugees 3–4 Eastfield Lodge
Line-up (4-2-3-1): Horak - Webber, Kirkup, Fevison, Delaware-Mahmud - Forde (<> Mirzadeh 85’), Dinwoodie (<> Farrow 75’) - Walkden (<> Hangeland 75’), Hackett, Caceres (<> Scripps 56’) - Ingersleben (<> Noble 75’)
Goals (Assists): Ingersleben (11’ - Fevison, 62’ - Scripps), Hangeland (85’ - Mirzadeh), Noble (90+5’ [p])
Headline: Late comeback spares Lodgers’ blushes against the pensive wanderers

World Cup 101 Qualifying MD8: Eastfield Lodge 2–0 Hamborn
Line-up (4-2-3-1): Horak - Webber, Kirkup (<> Peebles 72’), Fevison, Delaware-Mahmud (<> Phelan 72’) - Forde, Dinwoodie - Walkden, Hackett (<> Jafari-Law 72’), Caceres - Ingersleben
Goals (Assists): Ingersleben (10’, 90+2’ - Dinwoodie)
Headline: Ingersleben’s double sinks Hamborn as qualifying bid gains traction

World Cup 101 Qualifying MD9: Boring Paradise 2–1 Eastfield Lodge
Line-up (4-2-3-1): Horak - Webber, Kirkup, Fevison, Delaware-Mahmud (<> Phelan 65’) - Forde (<> Meskin-Collingwood 79’), Dinwoodie - Walkden, Hackett (<> O’Sullivan 55’), Caceres (<> Scripps 79’) - Ingersleben (<> Noble 65’)
Goals (Assists): Walkden (34’ - Ingersleben)
Headline: Horak sent off as Boring Paradise emerge triumphant in derby

World Cup 101 Qualifying MD10: Super Earth 5–3 Eastfield Lodge
Line-up (4-2-3-1): O’Sullivan - Webber, Kirkup (<> Peebles 11’), Fevison (<> Plummer 45’), Delaware-Mahmud - Forde, Dinwoodie (<> Farrow 63’) - Walkden (<> Hangeland 63’), Hackett, Caceres (<> Scripps 63’) - Ingersleben
Goals (Assists): Own goal (32’ - Hackett), Hackett (47’ - Plummer), Forde (89’)
Headline: Super Earth completes double over Eastfield Lodge as vultures start circling Meogegiv

Line-up to play Taeshan and Bhumi Matawis Empire (4-2-3-1):
O’Sullivan - Darragh, Kirkup, Plummer, Delaware-Mahmud - Forde, Dinwoodie - Walkden, Hackett, Scripps - Ingersleben
Suspended: Horak (red card; both games, available MD13), Webber (yellows; Taeshan only)
Injured: N/A

by **Bonusia** » Thu May 14, 2026 7:07 pm

Round 1: Nusandara 0-3 Bonusia - W
@ Nusandara
Round 2: Bonusia 3-2 HUElavia - W
@ La Caravana, Op, Bonport, Bonusia
Round 3: Libesia 0-1 Bonusia - W
@ Hasimou Biri Sports Complex, Hayaale, Libesia
Round 4: Bonusia 2-0 Katzeburg - W
@ Estadi de la Unificació, Somorrosta, Detrívora, Bonusia
Round 5: Beal an Mhuirthead 1-2 Bonusia - W
@ Beal an Mhuirthead
Round 6: Bonusia 2-0 Aamathyr - W
@ Tomàtic, Sant Molina, Ralí, Bonusia
Round 7: Aphrilia 1-0 Bonusia - L
@ Millennium Dawn Stadium, Darlingtown, Aphrilia
Round 8: Bonusia 2-0 Warkus - W
@ La Cova del Tigre, Unom, Plana d'Unó, Bonusia
Round 9: Carpathia and Ruthenia 2-3 Bonusia - W
@ Carpathia and Ruthenia
Round 10: Bonusia 2-1 Nusandara - W
@ Estadi d'Avellanes&Turró, Minga, Tionera, Bonusia
Round 11: HUElavia vs Bonusia
@ Estadio Porto, Portimao, HUElavia
Round 12: Bonusia vs Libesia
@ La Blanquinada, Tarraconova, Tarraconensis, Bonusia
Round 13: Katzeburg vs Bonusia
@ Anchor Field, Inverhaven, Katzeburg
Round 14: Bonusia vs Beal an Mhuirthead
@ Hepepelioli, Wèep, Pungapu, Bonusia
Round 15: Aamathyr vs Bonusia
@ Aamathyr
Round 16: Bonusia vs Aphrilia
@ Estadi Bonusià Inda' Regareka, Kekla, Keklagara, Bonusia
Round 17: Warkus vs Bonusia
@ Dome of Virtue, Nyareth Newydd, Warkus
Round 18: Bonusia vs Carpathia and Ruthenia
@ Estadi Casa Tarradellas, Kynetbo, AMK

MATCHDAY 9	MATCHDAY 10
CARP. & RUTH. 2-3 BONUSIA	BONUSIA 2-1 NUSANDARA
AGAINST THE TIDE Bonusia manages to get 3 more vital points despite being left with 10 players very early on	CRUISING ON MOMENTUM Bonusia gets the job done and obtains its' 9th win in 10 games
Events (CER): R. Pék 16'(P), C. Bassi 67' Events (BON): B. Formiga 23', A. Cea 77', A. Miró 86' // \|\| S. Casas 58' // \|\| À. Catchot 15'	Events (BON): A. Poveda 23', Y. Morad 69' Events (NUS): Unknown 86'
SUMMARY: On the last game of the first half of the qualifiers, Bonsuia didn't let itself be defeated in Carpathia and Ruthenia, despite everything going against them from the beginning of the game. Because the Carpo-ruthenian squad started ahead, after an unfortunate play inside the Bonusian area ended with a pretty evident handball by Àngels Catchot that awarded a penalty for the locals and a red card for the Keklaneka right back. Rebecca Pék, from the 11 meters, didn't miss; setting a 1-0 result on the scoreboard. But just like in the game against Libesia, being one goal behind was actually a bliss in disguise, since it pushed Bonusia to push even more to control the game as to avoid overexerting itself. The goal that equalized, though, was pure individual talent, as Bernat Formiga reivindicated himself as a key player for the national team. The Lightning player made a beautiful incursion, sitting Kövér and Nalder to finally get the equalizing goal for the Bonusian squad. It was hard, but the Bonusians played carefully, holding the ball and trying to wear the Carpo-Ruthenians off in what turned to be a battle of attrition. The Black Star's rivals seemed comfortable on this setting, mostly due to their numerical advantage, and during the first half this kind of stalemate was maintained. And on the second half, a similar trend was seen but, as the game went on, the 10-player handicap did affect Bonusia, which was becoming more and more tired as time went on. Eventually, due to tiredness, Carpathia and Ruthenia did manage to find the goal of Cloquell, with the captain Clara Bassi taking her chance in a misunderstanding between Gonfaus and Burgés to advance and then very smoothly send the ball to the side of the goal, catching Cloquell off-foot. Being behind, with a player less and with the stamina of the Bonusians quickly depleting, it seemed like the second defeat for the Space Labubus was around the corner. However, a miracle that could only be described as a pure grit push. Somehow, Cea found it's way to equalize some minutes after the second goal for the locals in a desperate push to find the goal. But not happy with that 2-2, the young Ares Miró, who entered during the second half, would also make use of his abilities and, greatly associating with Poveda, would be left free of mark inside the area, from where he would beat Antonini and score the 2-3. Carpathia tried (and Ruthenia did too), but Bonusia held his ground by sheer willpower and got yet another three vital points to maintain itself on the top 2 alongside Aphrilia, a team that is also having an impeccable qualifying campaign.	SUMMARY: With one hell of an important game right around the corner against HUElavia, the only team that has, as of now, serious chances of overcoming Bonusia for that 2nd place, Boquete didn't want to take any risks at all. That's why in Minga, most of the starters were given rest and the new faces of the squad got a chance to shine with the national squad. Despite playing with reserves, the difference in level between the two teams was noticeable from the start, and the first goal did not take long to arrive. Ainara Valladares got a back pass to Poveda and the Kynetrboan midfielder, entering from the second line, put it past the rivalling goalkeeper. The rest of the game would be pretty calm and uneventful, with Bonusia dominating possession and playing pretty safe, although some more chances would come for them. Jofre Ramon would almost score after a delightful chip to one of the defenders before halftime. And during the second half, Yonatan Morad would almost get in a great range pass from Xavier Clotet. Eventually, Yonatan Morad himself would be the one to seal the deal, after trying a long shot range from the 3/4ths line. The unattentiveness of the goalkeeper enabled the 2-0 that would allow Bonusia to relax. An almost last minute goal by Nusandara made the Black Star actually need to be attentive during the last minutes of the game, but eventually Bonusia would get another win. With nine victories, Bonusia will visit HUElavia, currently 3rd while 9 points behind Bonusia and Aphrilia. A distance that might seem enormous at first, but which a Huelavian win in Portimano would significantly reduced, with Bonusia still having to play very complicated games. Boquete will go with everything to get a positive result, in what is one of the most difficult challenges of the qualifiers.

It was a cold, windy afternoon in Downtown Kynetbo. From the headquarters of Televisió Bonusiana, a defeated Regina Quaresma emerged unvigorously, with a blank stare and, very strangely, in complete silence. After the failure of the pilot episode of her first programme left her feeling very powerless. Specially given that it was a problem that editors could've easily solved by simply cutting and editing the footage... Her whole Rogèria planning, all for nothing... She had this whole idea of trying to find Bonusians in places far away from their land, and to follow the national team while doing so. It was a great idea, check wherever Bonusia is playing, and try to find people living there already... But the programme on Aphrilia had to be cancelled and at this point the HUElavian one will most likely need to be cancelled aswell.

This situation made her feel... powerless. A weird word for her. Despite her innocent and sometimes dumb appearance, she always managed to get what she wanted, in many sorts of ways. In that sense, she always had the power, the freedom, the capacity to adapt and move forward. And now, despite all her work, a board was deciding to close the programme without it even starting, before she was left to prove herself.

Very tired from life in general, Regina sat in a lone bank in one particularly lonely pedestrian street. As she wandered through her mind, though, a young man would sit next to her some minutes after she arrived. After a long and slightly uncomfortable silence, the young man would speak up.

(???):- Rough day?
(R. Quaresma):- You wouldn't believe it, trust me.
(???):- Try me.
(R. Quaresma):- Well, if you really want to know... I don't know if you're a sports fanatic, but I used to be like in this sports programme as a corresponsal or co-host... and well, I like super hated it. Then, I was like offered this really good opportunity at real TV, and I had this great idea for a programme. I even wanted to relate it to football in a way, following the national team yadda-yadda.
(???):- Oh yeah, yeah, I get it.
(R. Quaresma):- So, it's time, we're filming our pilot episode. We filmed the travel from Kynetbo to Rogèria so we can film all the ideas I planned... and suddenly, they tell me that it's over! We filmed for 40 minutes and that was enough for them apparently. I thought like "Aren't you guys going to edit it or something?!" Of course, the programme was pile ton of stinky poo, since we had to cut it just as I was interviewing the first person in Rogèria! I feel I was taken away like the chance out of my hands, you know?
(???):- I think I know the feeling...
(R. Quaresma):- ...Sometimes I feel like the gods don't even care, you know? Like we are just a kind of sick game for them, that our importance ends where their damn game does. At least that's how it feels, because stuff like this makes me wonder if anyone out there truly supports us.
(???):- That's kind of a specific example, right?
(R. Quaresma):- It's called a vibe, sweetie...
(???):- Oh yes, I understand...btw, sorry but I have to mentioned it, you're the Regina Quaresma, right? The one on El Ressopó.
(R. Quaresma):- Well, guilty. But I was at El Ressopó. I would never come back to that like, super ass programme. In fact I'm even surprised you watch it, you seem like a normal person.
(???):- Well I should... I'll be interning there.
(R. Quaresma):- Ooh, you're that new intern they hired?
(The Intern):- Yeah...
(R. Quaresma):- Well, don't be discouraged then... Sometimes it's good.
(The Intern):- I'm actually excited for my first day on air. There's a lot of very good professionals there.
(R. Quaresma):- Well, in a way... Let me tell you, as a tip. Don't trust Salvador too much. He might seem like the sane one in that circus, but over time I've seen he's quite an arse. Be wary.
(The Intern):- Alright... Wow, you don't really ressemble yourself on TV eh?
(R. Quaresma):- Heh... well, in acting you usually need to exaggerate everything to make the spectator understand the message you're trying to convey. I like love thinking that the same goes for TV. I just exaggerate myself instead of exaggerating a character... also, I'm in no mood for TV. These leeches sucked all the joy from me...
(The Intern):- Can I give you a tip aswell, from someone younger like me? I saw your appearances at CARCA, and you have real talent. Maybe even more than what a programme like that could contain it. With this pseudo-character of yours, I think you can be a star in Bonusia. I think that you should fight for what you believe. For that programme of yours, for example.
(R. Quaresma):- You think so?
(The Intern):- Absolutely!... Oh, sorry, gotta go. 1st day in the office, you know how it is...
(R. Quaresma):- Sure thing, honey...
(The Intern):- Pleasure meeting you. The real you, Regina.
(R. Quaresma):- The pleasure is mine eeh... what was your name?
(The Intern):- Sorry, gotta go!
(R. Quaresma):- Alright...

And as she looked at that intern go to the CARCA TV headquarters, she turned back and looked at the headquarters of the TVB... that's the way.

by **Sel Appa** » Thu May 14, 2026 7:27 pm

Midpoint Review with Coach Walter Daviande
Host: "How is it going, Coach? We are glad to have you here midway thru the quals."

Daviande: "Great to be here too. Its been great. 4-1-4 record is nothing to snuff at. We would have liked a little bit better, maybe knock off one or two of those losses, but I can complain about being in 5th and a playoff spot."

Host: "Yea thats really impressive and the fans are loving it, the positivity has gone up a lot we are seeing with calls and comments."

Daviande: "We are too, we keep a pulse on fans, thats more Rockys thing, but he lets me know."

Host: "So playoff contention, you want to shore that up a bit?"

Daviande: "Absolutely. Its a loose 5th place, so we need to improve a bit in the second leg. The draw against Super Earth slipped us a bit, but what a match."

Host: "Yea, that really was something, 5 to 5, you dont see that too often."

Daviande: "I told the boys thats the kind of scoring I want to see, but the defense was terrible. I rested Sabesić as you know, which maybe was not the best idea. Kal is beating himself up over that debut, but we are trying to cheer him up."

Host: "Again, for the second leg, what do you want to see?"

Daviande: "We are looking for a win against Taeshan coming up. Then, its the tough teams. Bhumi Matawis, Kwrpania, Eastfield Lodge, who admittedly arent having a great go, but we cant let up, and of course Reçuecn. If we can get two, even three wins out of that stand, I should say 6 to 9 points out of the 12, that is where we want to be."

Host: "Do you see the team settling at playoffs?"

Daviande: "Well, thats why those matches are critical. If we can win 6, 7, 8 points, 9 even, then we are in direct qualification contention. I am still aiming for that. If we only make the playoffs, especially third, that is fine. But I want a direct qualification. I tell the boys this every match, hahaha. We arent messing around here."

Host: "What are you expecting for the playoffs?"

Daviande: "Haha, like I said. I am aiming for qualifying. If we have to deal with playoff, well do that. But I am determined to get this team in the Finals."

Host: "Ambitious, coach, but that is what this team has needed."

Daviande: "Absolutely, I was hired to bring the heat, and I think we are doing it."

Host: "How have you enjoyed the travel?"

Daviande: "Its grueling, but we get thru it. Thats what qualification is for. But, its been great to have the opportunity to see other parts of the world. I love it."

Host: "The fans have been...quiet, shall we say. It looks like your efforts with fan outreach have done well."

Daviande: "I agree completely. But its still early in the qualifiers. Lets see how we finish off. Definitely the anger isnt out there like the past few cycles, but I think people are patiently and eagerly awaiting. We started off with three losses, two at home, which was upsetting, but we turned it around, and its been 4-1-1 since then. I think thats having an effect too. The fans maybe arent sure what to do, but we expect something at the end, we just hope that its not as bad as it usually is."

Host: "The qualifiers are closing in Anila City again, which has a reputation as Riot City, any expectations?"

Daviande: "Well, thats against Super Earth again, so I think well do better. I think we need a home win to finish it off. Weve been working with the security teams to plan for that, and make sure it doesnt get too crazy no matter what happens."

Host: "That sounds great, well we appreciate you giving us the time and everything you are doing. A bangup job, Id say. Good luck in the second half!"

Daviande: "Thank you, I am gonna push the boys hard so we can get those wins we need."

Interview with FFSA President Rockwell Bates

Host: "Rocky, good to have you on. You always seem to be busy."

Bates: "I am."

Host: "Well, how are you feeling about things so far?"

Bates: "Good, Walter is doing great."

Host: "Do you think the team will qualify?"

Bates: "Thats the goal."

Host: "Anything you would like to see changed up a bit?"

Bates: "No. Wally has my full confidence."

Host: "How has hosting matches gone? This is your first time at the helm for that."

Bates: "Complete reorganization at the Federation, how we interact with the stadiums. Much better."

Host: "And you also expanded the number of venues."

Bates: "Yes, that was a must. Five options was ridiculous and unfair to half the country. Now, things are spread out more and everyone gets a shake."

Host: "What went into that?"

Bates: "We put out a request and talked with all of the Premier teams, and narrowed it down to that. We did have a few more options, so we are seeing how these hosts do."

Host: "Are you happy with it so far? I think it was just Krisip Park that is a new host."

Bates: "Yes, they did fantastic. Reddingham should have been involved more years ago."

Host: "And going forward, what do you see? Is this a practice for a future hosting bid?"

Bates: "Ah, now youve got it."

Host: "Really, tell us more."

Bates: "We are looking at it, not for a bit more, we need to improve infrastructure, but I suspect a Baptism of Fire or Independents Cup hosting is in the near future."

Host: "Really? Are you teasing us?"

Bates: "No, quite serious, we are looking at it. Structuring things up and preparing a bid. I cant say what yet, but we would like to host. Sel Appa is a capable and welcoming nation."

Host: "We certainly are, the showcase has gotten great reviews."

Bates: "Ive heard."

Host: "You havent been?"

Bates: "No time yet, but I hope to. I think they have me giving a speech."

Host: "Also, how are you feeling about the counter-hooliganism program?"

Bates: "Thats important to us, and its looking promising. The culture is changing."

Host: "And finally, predictions?"

Bates: "I think Walter and I have said we plan to be in the Finals."

Host: "Well, thank you for your time, President Bates."

Bates: "A pleasure."

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